Unspoken Words
by BrokenRose12
Summary: When Loke is unable to return to the Celestial Spirit World Lucy offers him a place to stay. Feelings are put to the test as Lucy is continuously questioning whether Loke's love is real or if he's just flirting with her like he's always done. At the same time Loke is caught in an eternal struggle between his heart and logic knowing a spirit and a human can never truly be together.
1. A New Mission

**I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. That right goes to Hiro Mashima. This is my first story on fanfiction, I'm happy to finally put something on this site. The idea just kind of came to me randomly and I had to write it. This story will include Nalu friendship and as well as some Jerza in later chapters.**

* * *

Lucy woke up to streams of light shining through her window. Groaning, she turned around to the other side of the bed, shifting the covers with her. She just wanted to go back to sleep and not go on the mission she and the rest of Team Natsu were assigned to go on today. Her eyelids felt heavy and her whole body protested any movement. It was one thing not to want to get up but her reasoning's were not from mere laziness. The warmth of the bed only kept her there longer since the blonde knew perfectly well what season it was. There was no essential need to make haste when she was this drained.

However, knowing she had an obligation, the Celestial Wizard forced her body to move into an upright position. The covers that were tucked securely under her neck now lay at her waist. She stifled a yawn and proceeded to shift her legs off the bed, letting them dangle there for a moment before her feet hit the soft carpet below. Standing up, she stretched her arms out in an attempt to wake up.

Making her way to the bathroom, she noticed the quantity of papers dispersed around and on top of her desk. Futile attempts to write last night left her discouraged and not in the mood to look at the mess sectioned off in that particular area of the room. She couldn't understand why she was having such a hard time transferring her ideas into words. Nothing seemed to flow anymore. Perhaps it was because the scene she was attempting to compose was romance and lately she has been lacking any sort of inspiration or self-knowledge in that department. Not having a boyfriend was somewhat disheartening especially since she longed to have one for quite some time now. Nevertheless it wasn't the right time for that sort of distraction to enter her life. Currently, the request board has been full and everyone was running ramped trying to accommodate the Master's orders to take care of those jobs, since they weren't exactly easy. Most of them were dangerous but imperative to carry out.

Shifting her gaze from the cluttered area, she proceeded to her destination. Closing the door tightly behind her, for purposes of not being walked in on if a certain pink haired dragon slayer and blue cat decided to drop by unannounced again, she focused on preparing her bath. Turning on the hot water, she allowed the tub to fill up as she slipped out of her pajamas. Once she put in the soap, the bubbles rapidly covered any sight of the water. Placing one foot in at a time, she settled down until the steamy liquid engulfed her whole form. While relaxing, her thoughts subconsciously went to a certain hazel-eyed spirit. Knowing she hasn't summoned him in a while, she began thinking of the reasons why.

It wasn't that she didn't want Loke's help, because really she could have used it during the last job, Lucy was just a tad reluctant to call him out. On the other hand, he hasn't made an appearance on his own either. She found that strange but didn't question his actions. His flirting had become somewhat expected by now and yet she was still easily embarrassed by it. He just had this way of mixing up all thoughts and making her heart race. No matter how much she dismissed these feelings, they always came back the moment her eyes rested on him. She felt vexed just having her mind linger on the spirit; she knew it wasn't right to be thinking about him like that. Their relationship was platonic and she intended on keeping it that way, regardless a blush formed on her cheeks. Exhaling, she sunk lower into the water.

After some time, passed Lucy stepped out of the tepid water and grabbed a towel to dry off her soaked frame. She then picked out a black skirt and a pink tank top. Dressing rather fast, she placed her boots on her feet and took a light jacket with her before heading out the door. Using her small key, she locked the entrance to her room and proceeded down the stairs. The fall wind hit her legs and carried a shiver up and along her skin. Maybe a weather appropriate outfit would have been a more suitable choice; however she didn't have the luxury of going back inside to change. If she didn't hurry she would be late for sure.

Lucy walked her normal route towards the guild. Loke was still invading her mind, so she had to force herself to focus on something else. Since the temperature continued to drop over the week there weren't many people walking along the streets or chatting with friends. The quietness of the town was rather soothing. People were, of course still working and continuing their daily lives despite the seasonal change. This would be the first time she would be experiencing fall with Fairy Tail and just like they had a party for the blooming of the cherry blossom trees, they held another festival for this time of year. Hopefully this time she could avoid getting sick.

There were so many things she wanted to do before the upcoming event, such as baking cookies since she missed her first opportunity. Even lending a hand in setting up was okay with her. She was extremely excited about this party and just like last time, all her friends knew. Erza even got into the spirit and started talking about making some cakes since she enjoyed them so much herself. Natsu and Gray merely shrugged it off. They've been to this event several times and didn't see why the girls were making it such a big deal but even Wendy couldn't hold down her enthusiasm. It wouldn't be for a while; meaning Lucy had plenty of time to think about it.

* * *

Even from this distance the mage could hear the loud commotion coming from the guild. The probability of there being a fight going on inside was certain. Not that she minded all that much as long as she wasn't involved in it herself. Entering the large building, Lucy was greeted by a chair being thrown straight at her. She had to duck just to prevent herself from getting hit by it. What a great way to start the day. Looking up she already knew it came from the direction of Natsu and Gray's battle. Deciding to ignore the possible injurious incident, she walked over to the bar to speak with Mirajane and Lisanna.

"Good morning, Lucy," Mira said once the wizard sat down and rested her head on the palm of her hand. Lucy had greeted her back but not very earnestly. She frowned at this. "Is everything alright? You seem a bit down."

"I'm fine," Lucy said back, looking up at the eldest Strauss. "Just a little tired is all. I've been having a hard time writing lately and an even more difficult time falling asleep these past few nights. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about though." She added in the last sentence when she noticed the worried look on her face.

"Are you sure? You're going on that mission with Natsu and the others soon," Lisanna inserted, joining in on her sister's concern. Ever since she came back from Edolas, the two of them quickly became good friends, which wasn't surprising since Lucy was told many times they were very similar. The two of them really couldn't disagree. After all they did have a lot of things in common with one another.

"Speaking about the mission," Lucy said, straitening herself up. "Do you guys even know what the Master assigned us to do? I tried to ask Natsu the other day but he ran off saying something about going fishing. Even though I told him there probably wouldn't be any fish to catch when the weather is so cold." Yesterday she had been speaking with her landlady about her rent problem. Being that she wasn't at the guild with the others at the time, she had missed the briefing of the mission.

"I don't know much about it but since Gray and Natsu are busy fighting. Maybe you should ask Wendy or Erza. They're sitting right over there," Mirajane replied, pointing in the direction that her two friends and teammates were located. "I know you'll be leaving in a few minutes so you might want to know what you're getting yourself into."

"Okay, thanks, Mira. I'll see you later, Lisanna," the Celestial Wizard responded. With a small wave, she left the bar area and headed towards the blue-haired dragon slayer and requip mage. Taking a seat next to Erza, she waited for them to finish their conversation before joining in. "So, what's this whole mission about anyway?"

"It's nothing harder than any other job we've taken," Erza commented with a shrug, "There's a small island not far off the coast. Lately there have been some suspicious looking people traveling back and forth. The only thing we were instructed to do was observe them and find out if what they're doing is legal or not. Once we report our findings to the Master, he will decide whether or not action will be needed."

"Well, does this island have anything of value on it?" Lucy asked, bringing her hand up to her chin. This was the first time she was hearing about it but for some reason she felt a little apprehensive about this job although she couldn't explain why. It was like a bad feeling just swelled up inside her. If the others felt the same way, they most likely would have said something to her. Given that they didn't, she decided to keep it to herself.

"Not that we know of," Wendy said, answering the question. She leaned her back against the chair so she could get a better view of Lucy. "It seems to be just an ordinary island. It's not that big either so it won't be that hard to figure out what they're doing there."

Just as Lucy was about to respond, both Natsu and Gray came over after having their fight interrupted by Mira. The fire dragon took a seat next to Lucy and Gray stood on the opposite side next to Wendy. It was easy to tell they were both annoyed at the quick ending of their brawl considering neither one of them could say who won. Sometimes Lucy couldn't understand the need for the two of them to prove who's stronger. To her it didn't even matter but they were guys and they like to have verification when it came to that sort of thing.

"Are we ready to go yet?" Natsu asked, feeling considerably excited about this job even though they just returned from an assignment two days ago. He was more than ready to get out there and take out a bunch of enemies. The others however, lacked the same amount of eagerness.

"If you ask me, this one seems a bit boring," Gray said as he crossed his arms. "And technically we aren't allowed to get involved so fighting isn't part of the plan." The ice mage had a small smirk come to his lips knowing this would get to Natsu rather quick.

"What do you mean there's no fighting? Why didn't I know about this?" the pink haired teen asked, almost getting up if it wasn't for Lucy intervening.

"Gray's right," Lucy commented, looking over at him. "I knew that and I wasn't even here when the Master told you guys about it." Natsu just gave a loud sigh and slumped down in his seat. The blonde looked over at him for a moment. Disappointment was clearly all over his face. She turned back towards the others. "What time do we have to leave?"

Erza glanced over at the clock before answering, "The boat will be departing soon so we should head out now. We really don't want to miss our ride." Everyone stood up besides Gray, who was already standing, and Natsu.

"Boat?" Natsu repeated somewhat timidly. Quickly he jogged up to the sky dragon slayer and lowered down to her. "Hey, Wendy, do you think you could use your sky magic to cure my motion sickness again?" He was desperate not to have to deal with getting nauseous from the swaying of the boat.

"Sorry, Natsu, but I did that for you last time and you know if I use it too often on you it will end up being ineffective," Wendy said apologetically. Carla, who flew next to her, simply made a humph sound and went on about how she shouldn't be using her magic so recklessly. Wendy just smiled at her cat's overprotectiveness.

"Oh, Lucy before you go," Mira called out catching up to them. She turned to face her. "This letter came for you a little while before you got here. I guess I forgot to give it to you. It's from _Sorcerer Weekly_. I'm surprised they delivered it here though." She handed the message to her.

The blonde looked down at the envelope to see what Mira said was true. It was a bit strange to receive a letter from them personally. She has posed before but she didn't know why they were contacting her now. Recent letters have been arriving from many people telling her how much they liked her pictures. Mira had said the same thing happened to her when she first started modeling for them. Every now and again she would still get a letter or two. It was a little odd for Lucy at first but she appreciated the fact that people took the time to write to her.

Lucy placed the letter in her jacket pocket. Maybe they wanted another interview or more of her photos. Either one would be fine as long as the person giving the interview didn't ask too many personal questions like the last one did. He asked her things pertaining to her weight and he even smelled her hand. It kind of freaked her out a bit. As long as she didn't get the same guy again, she wouldn't have a problem talking with the magazine. "Thanks for giving it to me. I guess I'll open it later when the mission's over." Giving a wave goodbye, she and the others left the guild. Erza took lead since she was the only one who knew where they were heading. The others spoke to one another but Lucy was too much in thought to participate in the conversation.

* * *

The cool air brushed past Lucy's skin and blew her hair back. It felt nice being outside even though the temperature became colder as they got closer to the water. Momentarily, she paused her thinking to see where they were going but found herself banging into Natsu as he and the others came to a halt after the red haired mage ceased her own movement. She rubbed her forehead, muttering sorry before focusing on Erza. The way she crossed her arms and furrowed her eyebrows could only mean she meant business. She looked at each one of them before speaking.

"The best way for us to get this mission done is to sneak onto their ship. If they are doing something illegal, they would be cautious in making sure they aren't being followed," Erza explained. "The boat they have been using is fairly large and should have plenty of room for us to sneak on board. Once on the ship, we will stay together and remain below deck until we reach the island and they head out. Afterwards, we will split up into teams. Natsu and Happy will search the ship thoroughly without getting caught. Gray and I will trail some people, getting and get as much information without actually confronting them, and lastly Lucy, Wendy, and Carla will search the island for anything out of the ordinary. Our time limit will be one hour before we meet up in a designated area, which will be a good few yards away from shore. Are there any questions?"

"Who made her the boss?" Natsu asked, whispering to Gray.

"You should know by now she normally takes over giving orders," the ice mage murmured back.

"What was that?" Erza asked able to hear both of them. They said nothing only replied with a quick fake smile as if they never said anything at all. She cleared her throat. "The Master put me in charge of this mission and I don't intend to fail. The most important thing is to not be seen. We can't let them know we're following them. Now we have to hurry before the boat leaves."

Everyone followed after the armored mage. A lot more people than Lucy originally thought were boarding the ship carrying boxes and other objects. She found it odd that all these people were hiding their faces by wearing a hood or sunglasses. As they crouched behind a large crate, the Celestial Wizard kept her eyes on the man barking orders. Her legs started to get antsy as they were stationed in the same position for the past few minutes. Nevertheless, she couldn't risk moving or making a sound. They were waiting for the perfect moment to make their move. Both Exceeds would be flying each one of them aboard as swiftly as possible the moment the coast was clear. From that point they would make their way below deck and figure things out from there.

Lucy continued to observe the members of the crew and the ominous feeling she felt before suddenly came back. There was still something about this she didn't like but she couldn't put her finger on it. Perhaps it was the way the men looked or it could have been the mission as a whole. However, she knew the Master wouldn't have sent them on this one specifically if he didn't believe something was going on.

The blonde's eyes shifted to the boat itself. It was rather large and appeared to have plenty of room to store big objects. The wood looked pretty old compared to any of the vessels located around it which meant they couldn't afford a new ship or they had this one for quite some time.

When a man's voice sounded, all seven of them glanced in one direction. His exact words couldn't be heard but all the men were going aboard giving them their opportunity. Not wanting to make a sound, Erza signaled Happy and Carla to start bringing people over. Wendy and Natsu were brought over before Happy came to get Lucy. Being lifted up in the air by the blue cat, she was flown onto the deck of the ship. When he dropped her, off she planted her feet down on the wood as soundlessly as possible. As soon as Erza and Gray were there, they waited for the crew to be busy enough not to notice them.

Orders were sent out and movement amongst the ship took place. Quickly, they went below the ship and hid behind a few boxes. Natsu immediately crashed to the floor as his motion sickness kicked in. His whole face turned a sickly color as he felt like he could throw up at any moment. The others gathered around in a small circle sitting next to one another.

"Since we're here, why don't we look through some of these boxes?" Gray asked in a hushed tone. Keeping their voices low was imperative when it came too this part of the mission. If they were heard, getting caught would be inevitable.

"If we try to open one of them, we'd make too much noise," Lucy answered, thinking it was apparent. "How long until we reach the island?" The feeling of being crammed into a small and enclosed space wasn't mixing well with the anxious feeling circulating through her body.

"We'll probably be there in about an hour," Wendy answered. There was a moaning sound that came from Natsu after the small dragon slayer gave her reply. Lucy shook her head, feeling sorry for him.

Lucy leaned back against the wall of the small cargo bay. She pulled her jacket closer to herself after feeling coldness pass through her system. The others had gone quiet, most likely thinking about the same thing. It was like they were just waiting for someone else to share their thoughts. The way the boat shifted up and down calmed her nerves, which was the exact opposite effect it had on Natsu. From this point, she looked upward able to hear the heavy pounding of footsteps above them. Just how many people were on this ship anyway? The sounds gave the impression of countless people but the number wasn't what was bothering her, it was how skilled and hazardous they were.

From behind them, a creaking noise made its way through the room. Lucy sat upright and brought her knees closer to her body, noticing the others on edge as well. Happy managed to quiet Natsu's whimpers but there was no telling how long it would be until he let out another loud moan. Her breathing sped up when a small light went on above them. The blonde could see a shadow making its way across the wooded floor.

* * *

**This chapter is really just a setup for the plot but several things mentioned will be important later. Loke will make his appearance in chapter two, rather than just being in Lucy's thoughts. If you're interested and want more chapters please review and let me know what you think. I would appreciate getting some feedback. **


	2. Unwanted Attention

**Thanks for the follows, favorite, and review. I hope this chapter keeps your interest. It's a little slow but I don't want to just rush into things since the small details are important. Feedback is always welcomed and like I said previously Loke will be here, just more towards the end.**

* * *

Lucy was sure they were going to be discovered. Her heart beat sped up from the sheer unease she felt as the man came closer to their hiding place. However, his footsteps ceased and if the blonde had to guess, she'd say he was looking around the room, possibly sent down here to check the cargo. She felt the urge to move simply because she knew she couldn't.

The only sounds that could be heard were the man's heavy breathing and the noises the boxes made as they shifted a little every time the boat rocked. She thought about taking a glimpse over the crate to see what was going on but then his feet started moving again.

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut tightly, wishing he wouldn't come back any further. Fortunately, his attention was caught by another member of the crew, calling everyone together. He made a grumbling sound as he headed out of the room. Once the light was shut off and the door was slammed shut, she was able to breathe again. She let out a small exhale before looking up at the others who all appeared relived as well.

After another forty minutes or so of being on the water, the ship finally came to a stop. Having no time to waste, they paired up to start their assignments. Natsu and Happy stayed on board waiting for the right moment to look around some more, after he was able to get up. The other five left the cargo bay and hid on deck. By now there was constant movement going on. As Erza and Gray were deciding the best people to start following, Lucy, Wendy, and Carla left the boat so they could search the island. Since they only had an hour before they all had to meet back up, they didn't have a moment to spare.

The second Lucy's feet touched the wet sand below, she ran alongside Wendy to escape the possibility of getting sighted. Once they were in the coverage of the trees, they slowed down to a walking pace.

"Lucy, can I ask you something?" Wendy said, drawing the blonde's attention away from the scenery and down toward the sky dragon slayer. "You seem a bit distracted today. Is there anything on your mind you want to talk about? You don't have to tell me but I'm here to listen."

The Celestial Wizard didn't answer right away. Instead she turned to the side, brushing her fingers through her hair for a moment. "Well… it's just that ever since I heard about this mission, I've been having a bad feeling. I don't know why though," she answered, slightly pondering to herself. "I could just be overthinking things." She attempted to not make Wendy worry by passing it off as nothing, but the sentiment still remained. Before she could say anything else, she received another question from the inquisitive girl.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" she asked, concerned. The blue-haired child looked up at Lucy, noticing the apparent frown on her face as well as the way her eyes darted off to the side. "Is this feeling you're having really that bad?"

Lucy brought her hands up. "No… There's just something about this place I don't like. I can't put my finger on exactly why that is though. But enough about that. We have to focus on the task at hand." She wasn't trying to change the subject although she did think it would be better to not talk about the portentous feeling she was having.

"She's right, you know," Carla said, placing herself in the conversation. She flew next to Wendy at shoulder height. "The mission is more important right now. After all we don't want to make any mistakes." Lucy knew a certain red-haired wizard wouldn't be very happy with them if they ended up slacking off and dealing with an angry Erza was something everyone tried to avoid.

"There's really not much around here," Lucy said as they continued walking through the wooded area. The majority of the forest was open areas with very few trees located together in one spot. "I wonder what those guys are even doing here. It really makes no sense to come to a deserted place like this, unless they wanted an area where they could be secluded from people. Even if that was the reason, we still have to figure out their intentions."

"Hopefully the others have found something by now," Wendy added, trying to lighten up the situation. They have been walking for quite some time. Both of them were getting tried from being on their feet for so long. "Maybe we should take a break or something."

"I'm good with that," Lucy commented, quickly taking the opportunity to rest her back against the trunk of a tree. Wendy took a seat on the ground next to her along with Carla. "So far, I'm not seeing anything suspicious. Maybe this was just a waste of time." She leaned her head down enjoying the shade the leaves provided. Despite the cool weather back home, the temperature here was warm.

"I'm not either," the dragon slayer said. "It could be that we're not looking in the right places. We're on an island so it's possible that we could be in the wrong spot. We'll probably have to search the other side later."

Lucy nodded her head in agreement; she however was hoping that nothing was going on. Using her left hand, she rubbed the back of her sore neck and moved her hair to one side to help her cool down. She really wasn't the type of person who liked warm weather so sweating was an uncomfortable feeling. The blonde removed her jacket and tied it around her waist.

She wouldn't mind if the climate was like this back in Magnolia. Winter would be approaching soon meaning temperatures such as this wouldn't be felt for a while. Therefore, she decided to enjoy it while she could.

"Don't you think we should get going now?" Wendy asked after a few more minutes passed.

"Can't we just stay a little while longer?" Lucy questioned, too relaxed to want to move. "The hour's probably almost up anyway."

"We won't get anywhere sitting around like this," the white cat reminded her. Complaining a little, Lucy stood up knowing she was right. The blonde brushed the dirt off of her skirt before they started walking again. The three of them only made it a few steps before they heard a voice coming from behind them.

"Hey, you two, hold it right there!" a man yelled. Lucy, Wendy, and Carla turned around to see at least ten people or so running towards them.

"I think we just blew our cover. Let's get out of here," Lucy advised. Quickly picking up their pace, they ran as fast as they could. In times like these she wished she was a faster runner. They were obviously gaining on them since she could hear them getting closer, but she didn't dare look back to see. She knew for certain they weren't just going to let them go. This was probably why she was having all those bad feelings although, right now wasn't the best time to be trying to figure that out.

If they got caught, they would definitely be in trouble and she wanted to avoid a fight if possible. After all, they didn't want unnecessary attention brought to them, at least not any more than they already had.

They had no idea where they were going since everything looked the same within the forest. Lucy and Wendy couldn't lead them back to where their meeting place was for obvious reasons. Instead the two girls and cat had to go in the opposite direction. At this rate they were just going to be running around until they were able to lose them.

Just as she was about to ask the dragon slayer what she thought they should do, Wendy tripped landing flat on her face. The other two called out her name and turned back to her and rushed over. "Are you okay?" Lucy questioned, crouching next to her.

"You really should be more careful," Carla stated in a hurried voice.

"Sorry," Wendy apologized while rubbing her head. As soon as she was up they noticed the men had already surrounded them.

"Looks like we don't have any other choice but to fight our way out," Lucy whispered to the other two. They nodded their heads back in agreement. She placed her hand on her keys, trying to figure out which spirit would be the best to use in this type of situation.

"Roar of the sky dragon," Wendy called out, taking a deep breath before creating a massive blast of wind. She blew back some of the people while others were able to stand the strong gust of air. Carla stayed behind her, knowing she was of no use while in a battle, but she felt the need to stay by her side.

Lucy decided to take the opportunity she was given. "Open Gate of the Maiden, Virgo," she called out, summoning the pink haired spirit. For a moment a puff of smoke appeared in the small area the key was pointed at.

"Punishment time, Princess?" she asked upon her arrival as she bowed her head towards her master.

"I don't have time to answer that," Lucy replied rapidly with a slight irritation. "We need some help taking out these guys but we have to do it without causing too much of a scene." Even though they were the ones spotted, she didn't want the others getting caught up in the mess they caused. Erza and Gray would undoubtedly be the first to know about this incident, rather than Natsu and Happy, considering that they were shadowing other members who were on the island.

"As you wish, Princess," Virgo said, bowing again before disappearing into a hole. She came up a moment later ready to attack.

Lucy thought about taking out her whip to help in the fight, but unfortunately her weapon was only useful when there was some distance between her and the opponents. She jumped out of the way of an incoming attack, nearly getting hit in the process. Seeing many foes were coming at her at one time, it was hard to know what to do first. Virgo was protecting the two of them to the best of her abilities and Wendy did all she could with her sky magic.

She trusted that the previous Cait Shelter member could hold her own in a battle but still felt the need to keep an eye on her. The dragon slayer was younger than she was and didn't have the best fighting skills. In fact, the blue-haired girl disliked combat, nevertheless she wouldn't hold back now.

Lucy's attention was brought to Virgo, who was keeping close to the blonde. The pink haired maiden used her digging ability to her advantage and managed to make a few pitfalls. Sure enough when two men came at the Celestial Wizard they fell right into them. That was two down, leaving the rest to be taken care of.

Wendy, using her breath attack again, managed to knock another three out when she sent them crashing into a tree. She breathed out heavily for a moment before glancing over at her friend, "What are we going to do, Lucy? By now the time limit Erza set for us will be over soon and someone's going to come looking for us."

"That's not necessarily a problem," Lucy replied, after asking Virgo to distract them for a moment. "As much as I don't want the others getting involved, things would be a lot easier with their help. Of course if we can get away first, that would be better." She ducked down when a fist came at her only to have her spirit come to her aid once again.

"Princess, what would you like me to do?" she questioned, holding onto his arm keeping him firmly in place. "Should I drop him into the hole with the others?"

"Yeah," Lucy said, panting slightly. She was able to sustain Virgo without a problem but there was no telling how long she'd be able to keep that up. If a strong enough attack was to hit the spirit, she'd be sent back to the Celestial World almost fingers grazed the handle of her whip again as she was ready to take it out in hopes of being more efficient in this fight but something stopped her, momentarily freezing her actions.

The sound of two screams reached her ears. Lucy turned her attention in the direction of her friends. They had been hit quite harshly and knocked to the ground, most likely unconscious. "Wendy! Carla!" the blonde called out upon seeing them, but they made no response. Hurrying over, she knelt down next to them and let out a light breath. They weren't hurt too seriously from what she could tell.

However, Lucy needed to get them out of here quickly. Either of them could effortlessly be taken because of their current state. She clenched her fits feeling angry at herself the moment. She only turned away for a second. If she called out another spirit, maybe this wouldn't have happened. The blonde shook, her head not wanting to think like that. The reason didn't matter right now. The important thing now was making sure she kept Wendy and Carla out of harms way and there was only one way to do that. She turned her head towards the maiden, who was still fighting, and called out to her.

"Virgo, can you take Wendy and Carla away from here in that direction?" Lucy asked as she pointed to her left. "If you keep going you should meet up with someone. I can't focus on fighting while I'm trying to protect them." Seeing that the she was about to protest, the brown-eyed girl brought up her hand silencing her. "Please, this is the only way I can make sure they're safe. While you're gone I'll summon someone else. I should be able to handle having more than one spirit out at the same time." Her voice didn't waver when she spoke, it only held determination.

"Alright, I'll be back soon, Princess," Virgo replied with some restraint in her answer. She didn't feel right leaving her to fight on her own, even though she knew Lucy was capable of taking care of herself. Grabbing hold of the small dragon slayer and cat, she rushed out of the area leaving the Celestial Mage to face the group of men. However, knowing half of them were already taken out eased her mind a bit.

"Looks like it's you verses all of us, isn't that right Lucy Heartfilia?" one of the men said in a mocking manner.

"How do you know my name?" she asked, taking a step back. The fact that they knew who she is wasn't exactly comforting, but at this point she didn't have time to stress over it. Five against one, the odds were surely against her.

She knew nothing about their fighting skills or abilities while they obviously knew hers. She was at a huge disadvantage and everyone knew it. Now that she was alone, Lucy wanted to wait before taking out another one of her keys, meaning she had to buy some time for herself. It seemed more important to think of some kind of plan first.

She glanced behind her to see with certainty that she was being enclosed, leaving her with no way to escape. Trying to run would do no good. Lashing her whip, she managed to ensnare the closest person to her. She clenched the handle and tugged towards herself, pulling as hard as she could until he hit the ground with a loud thud. Feeling the presence of another one coming at her from behind, she quickly turned to dodge the incoming assault. That action only led her to be grabbed by a different person.

Hands restrained her from moving, which in turn caused her to lose hold of her weapon. "Let go," she yelled out struggling. There was no way she was going to let herself get captured by these men. She cried out when her arm was bent back, pain coursed through her body in an instant. "If you think I'm going to give up just because you're twisting my arm back, you have another thing coming," she commented with some strain in her voice. Lifting up her leg, she slammed the heel of her boot onto his foot. He let go straightaway, giving her the chance to get some distance between them.

He cursed as he held onto the slightly injured area. "You have a lot more fight in you than I thought," he said with a grunt. He made a motion with his hand, signaling the others to come in closer. "Too bad this battle has to end so quickly. I was hoping to enjoy it a little while longer."

This was not good. Lucy knew getting to her whip wasn't possible and with them so close to her, she was aware of the fact that she'd be grabbed again before she could take out one of her keys. They really weren't leaving her with many options though. What she really need was some more space. She let out a small gasp when she thought of something she could do. It might just be able to her the opportunity she needed.

"I just have one question," Lucy said, receiving a look from each of them. "What are you guys doing on this island?"

"What do you want to know that for?" the guy who took hold of her earlier asked. "You'll probably figure that out once we bring you back with us."

Lucy's eyes widened. At least she knew a little bit more about why they knew who she was, but still being held captive wasn't part of the plan. As some of the men around her glanced at one another, rather than keeping an eye on her, she pushed through them. She ran a little bit further, giving her the room she needed. She knew she wouldn't have been able to flee fast enough.

The blonde was already out of breath. She had to call for another spirit. Taurus or Loke were probably the best ones to summon at a moment like this. Making up her mind, she decided to summon the lion spirit this time. However, the second she took out her keys, a blast of fire was shot, hitting her hand and knocked the silver and gold items to the ground.

A small scream escaped her lips as she shook her hand back and forth, trying to relieve the burning sensation left on her fingers. Apparently one of them could use fire magic. Before she even got the chance to look up, the next thing she felt was the wind being knocked out of her. Harshly being kicked in the stomach, she was sent sliding across the dirt.

Lucy coughed a few times, clutching her side as her vision blurred. Looking above, she could just barely see the fire mage standing a few feet away from her. Flames were created within his hands and with a small grin he sent them straight at her. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, waiting for the scorching pain to hit her at any moment. Rather, she felt hands take hold beneath her knees and back as well as a rush of wind as she was quickly moved out of harm's way. Once no more movement was taking place, she opened her eyes to see Loke looking down at her with a small frown on his face. She felt her cheeks heating up at the sight of him.

It was easy for him to see she had been burned and knocked around a few times. The bruise forming on her stomach wasn't visible, but the wrinkled and dirty part of her shirt, where a foot was obviously smashed into was enough proof for him to know she was hit with a forceful attack. It was possibly hard enough to cause serious damage. The deep breaths she took only provided him with the information that she had been fighting for a while now.

Loke bent his knees lower towards the ground and placed Lucy down, making no comment as he did so. He only stood up and turned away from her, facing his new opponents. She was now left staring at his back wondering what he was going to do.

A moment later the lion spirit spoke. "Lucy, I want you to say back," he muttered to the blonde, leaning his head a little bit to the side so she could hear him. However, he didn't even give her the chance to reply. Looking back at the enemies, he sighed at the sight of them. "To be honest I really don't care what's going on here, but I'm afraid no matter the circumstance," he remarked, pushing up his glasses with one finger before letting his fury show through his features. "Hurting Lucy is the one thing I cannot forgive."

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**Loke finally made an appearance and he's not exactly happy either. Next chapter will include the reason why he is unable to return to the Celestial World, but you'll probably be left with some questions. I assure you that they will be answered as the story progresses. I think that's about all I have to say, please review! **


	3. Side Effects

**Chapter three is finally up. I'm trying to update every Saturday but you never know when writers block will hit. I hope you like the chapter.**

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Loke stood firmly and protectively in front of Lucy. She could literally feel the air around them become heavy due to the lion spirits anger. The blonde was knocked around a little bit but she didn't know why that caused him to become more infuriated than normal. Although, she understood if she was hit by those flames her injuries would have been a lot worse. Her eyes focused on Leo before glancing over at the men enclosing around them.

Lucy couldn't let him fight by himself. She wanted to help even though her stomach was still throbbing from the fierce kick she received moments ago. Regardless of that, she needed to at least try and lend a hand in this upcoming battle. However, knowing her keys were sent flying behind her and her whip was lying somewhere discarded on the ground, she wasn't sure what to do.

Her palms touched the earth below as she pushed herself up only to find her legs weakening as she stumbled back down from the intensified pain. A small gasp escaped her lips when her knees crashed onto the dirt. She placed her hand on the bruised area right before Loke's voice sounded.

"Lucy, I told you to stay back," he said in a steady voice. Still, he didn't turn around to face her. "I can handle these guys, there's no need for you to get involved." She pouted slightly because of what he said. He would prefer having Lucy out if the area but with her wound it wasn't possible for her to get away on her own.

She tended to only summon him when the situation was dangerous and he knew she was just about to before she lost her keys. Meaning, this was just another one of those times he had to come out on his own. Fortunately, he arrived just in time to save her but he wished she called him in the first place. He trusted that she knew what she was doing, that wasn't even a question. He just felt better being by her side, knowing she was safe.

On the other hand, he was also aware of how she felt about working together during battles, but this time he simply couldn't allow it.

The Celestial Wizard dropped her gaze regrettably, letting him fight on his own. "Just be careful," she muttered under her breath. She frowned but for now she would do as he instructed and stay put. She wouldn't have been very useful like this anyway.

Loke cautiously eyed each one of them, stopping himself from making any impulsive moves. Since Lucy was only a few feet behind him, he couldn't afford to be careless. By appearance they didn't look like much but their actual fighting skill could be at a high level. Just from a mere glance he could tell which ones used magic. He decided to take care of them first.

With light encasing his hands, he rushed towards one of the mages. He brought his arm down then swiftly pushed upward, slamming him in the jaw. The opponent merely stumbled back from the fierce hit before coming at him. With a quick duck, Loke avoided his attackers blow and with a swift thrust of his fist he punched the wizard in the face, sending him crashing into the side of a tree. Flexing his fingers, he tried to ease the sting left with him after the striking the man a second time.

He quickly noticed that two of the men weren't confronting him, but at this point he didn't have the time to see where they were. Once he limited down the number of people he'd deal with them.

Loke glanced over at Lucy as she watched the battle intently. Her desire to assist him would have to be put aside. Shifting his gaze back, he forced his legs to move once again. Racing towards two enemies at once, he twisted his body to avoid a blast of fire before kneeing him in the stomach. The lion breathed out evenly. As much as he would like to end this the spirit wanted answers.

He paused, narrowing his eyes before taking a moment to speak with the one in front of him. "Tell me. What do you want with Lucy?"

"We're just following orders," he replied, clearly not threatened by the celestial being. "Of course we didn't expect her to be on this island. But since she's here, we figured why not take the opportunity now instead of going through all the trouble later."

He scowled after hearing the response. He needed to know who they were working for and why obtaining his key owner was so important. In spite of this, it seems he had to get this little brawl over with first if he wanted any information. "There's only one problem with your plan. I'm not going to give you the chance. I won't allow you to lay a hand on her." Leo's eyes fell on all of them. "Regulus, grant me power," he muttered lowly. Lifting his right hand into the air, he clenched his fist and placed his left hand on his bicep before bringing his arm down. Light encased the battlefield.

Lucy shielded her eyes as soon as she recognized what he was doing. When the bright glow died down, Loke was already making his move. With his knuckles covered in a large mass of light, he attacked the closest one to him. The first punch hit and sent the wizard flying back into the trees.

In a sudden move, Loke dashed forward only to have the others mimic him. As he dodged one blow, the other managed to hit him. Sent to the ground, he slid across the dirt, momentarily out of breath from the blow. Dust quickly coated the area from the assault.

With the sharp hearing Leo possessed, he could pick up the movement around him. Another attack was coming, he knew that much. Loke quickly pushed himself up, just missing another blast of fire sent in his general location. Still hidden by the fleeting dust particles, he kept low and to the ground, prowling out the enemy waiting for the opportunity to make the next move.

Lucy coughed a few times before she was able to contain herself. She could no longer see what was going on from where she sat. While waiting for the air to clear, she wondered what was taking Virgo so long. Even though she was sure Loke could manage the situation perfectly well on his own, the blonde would feel better if the maiden spirit was here to help him out.

Once Leo knew where the enemies were, he faced their direction. A gust of wind blew away the remaining cloud that concealed them from one another, revealing everyone's whereabouts. Loke's whole body was racing with streams of light. This attack he was currently preparing for was strong enough to defeat Bickslow in one shot and he hoped it would be just as useful now.

He brought his fist up before pushing it forward creating a golden magic circle. A large lion's face materialized and headed straight towards his two rivals. "Regulus Impact!" The blast hit them head on, sending them deeper into the forest at in incredible speed. Now that they were taken care of, he had to deal with the other two. They could have escaped, however he found them running away unlikely.

Even though Loke used a lot of his energy, he didn't have to worry about being sent home. He was capable enough to hold his own without having to rely on Lucy's magic to sustain him in this world.

Pushing up his shades, he observed the men unconscious on the ground. He wanted to see if there were any markings indicating what group they were part of. If they were members of a guild, they would have had the symbol somewhere on them.

Lucy heard a rustling sound and suddenly jerked her head to the side. The other two, who she though had fled from the scene, made another appearance. They seemed to have been watching the whole time, perhaps observing Leo's skills? As they came towards her, she inched back some before calling out. "Loke, I could use some help over here!"

The moment he heard her voice, he turned to see what was going on. He had a feeling they would come back to get Lucy, he didn't forget she was still the main target. He rushed over to Lucy in an instant. He managed to get between them and took a defensive stand. "You guys just don't learn do you? I'll give you one more chance to tell me what I want to know. If not, you'll just end up like your friends over there."

"Sorry, but we were given strict orders to keep quite. I'll just say she's essential for our plan," the taller of the two commented. He looked over at his partner. "Let me deal this guy, you know what to do."

Loke wasn't given any time to react. A kick on the side of his stomach pushed him back some. Blocking an array of assaults, he tried keeping his eyes on Lucy. The other guy hadn't moved any closer to the Celestial Mage, but from what he could tell, he was doing something with his hands. He appeared to be making some sort of magic circle and the blonde was right in its range.

At this rate things were going, Leo didn't have much time to stop him. In mid fight he ducked down before dashing away from his current brawl. Despite Lucy's attempt to move, she couldn't get away quick enough. As the magic was fired, Loke got in front of her. He was able to protect her from the attack which in turn caused him to get hit instead.

Lucy called out his name right before the sound of the small blast blocked her out. Loke felt himself being blown back some and roughly hitting the ground. A hiss of pain passed through his mouth.

The Celestial Wizard was at his side as quickly as she could get there. Lucy saw him take hold of his shoulder before glancing up at her**.** "Loke, are you okay?" she asked with fear in her voice.

"I'll be fine," he said through gritted teeth. Mustering up his strength, he sat up and Lucy immediately helped him steady himself. The first thought that crossed his mind was that he didn't return to the Celestial World right after he was hit. Normally an attack like that would have sent him back home. It didn't look strong but after being knocked down by it, the pain was excruciatingly apparent. Whatever kind of magic they tried using against Lucy was dangerous. "You have to get out of here."

"I'm not going to just leave you," she told him stubbornly. Lucy looked him in the eyes but before he had the chance to reply he cringed again. Guilt flowed through her instantaneously. It was all her fault he was hurt. He knows how much she hates her spirits acting like shields and yet he did it anyway.

Lucy still held onto her stomach with one hand but the other rested on his uninjured shoulder. Footsteps were heard as the two men approached them.

"That might not have been meant for you, but in the end it doesn't matter," the one who casted the spell said from behind. Lucy's wrist was taken hold of and within a second, Loke's hand grabbed onto her pursuer, stopping him from pulling the blonde away.

"You think I'm just going to let you take her?" Loke said, glaring upward. He was aware that Lucy's eyes were on him. When she suddenly winced from the man's grip, he knew he must have tightened his hold on her. "If you don't let her go right now, I swear you will regret it." His voice held a hostile tone and yet the state he was in made his threat seem hollow. He pushed himself to his knees even though it strained his body. He was still willing to fight to protect her.

Just as Lucy thought Loke was going to do something, the guy let go and jumped out of the way, barely avoiding a blast of fire. She turned around to see Natsu with his usual smile on his face and Gray with his arms crossed over his chest, both standing a few feet behind them. A sense of ease flooded throughout her system. Loke, as well, appeared to be more calm seeing their friends arrive.

"You guys okay?" Gray asked as they came over. He could tell just from their appearances that they were roughed up a bit. Lucy's hair was patchy with a thin layer of sand. Her skin was scraped mainly on her knees and elbows while her clothing was dirty and ripped in several areas, one spot barely showing her discolored skin from a foot colliding with that specific region.

Loke, on the other hand, had a bruise forming on the side if his cheek from the punch he received earlier. His apparel remained intact only managing to have a stain here and there. The most alarming thing about his form was his pale face and what appeared to be burn marks.

The hand belonging to Loke's injured arm clenched into a fist while his other limb was being supported by Lucy. If not for her, he wouldn't have been able to keep himself balanced. He was unsure what the effect of the spell he was hit with was, but something about his magic felt off. This only made him more curious about why they were trying to use it on the young Heartfilia.

"We'll be alright," Lucy said, speaking for both of them. Although, she wasn't too sure how well Loke was faring. "What are you guys doing here and why didn't Virgo come with you?"

Natsu frowned seeing that the only opponent left standing had run off before he got the chance to battle him. The other was frozen into an ice cube thanks to the dark-haired mage. The fire dragon turned to face the two of them. "Virgo went back to the Spirit World. After she brought Wendy and Carla to me, Happy and I took them to the meeting spot. Erza and Gray were already there. She said her time was running out and told us where to find you. We came here, leaving the others to look after them," he explained.

Lucy was glad to know the young dragon slayer and Exceed were safe. A heavy weight lifted off her shoulders but there were still some problems. One, Loke was here,when she knew he should have been forcibly send back home after that, and two, those guys were intent on capturing her. They gave no reason other than following orders. She shuttered just thinking about what just transpired. This whole situation could have turned out differently if Loke hadn't shown up when he did.

"We should get out of here," Loke said, speaking up. "The enemy knows our location. If we stay they're more likely to come back with reinforcements." The most important thing to him was to get Lucy out of harm's way. For some reason she was their main objective and that didn't sit well with him at all.

The two element wizards nodded their heads. Gray went over to Loke and helped him stand up. Since he couldn't move easily on his own, the ice mage supported him by having him his arm around his shoulders.

Natsu, after getting Lucy's keys for her, carried her on his back, seeing as she was in no condition to be walking on her own either. The journey to the meeting area was quiet. Lucy had an observable frown on her face as she rested her chin on Natsu's shoulder. Loke lowered his head in thought as they continued their travel. Much was going through his mind concerning the Celestial Wizard and his own predicament.

As soon as they arrived, Erza quickly questioned them, although she heard most of the story from the now awake blue-haired girl. Lucy explained everything the best she could to the redhead. Not liking the fact that they were given away, she accepted her answer and was calmed to see they were alright. The armored wizard asked Wendy to heal them before they would discuss their next move. The sky dragon rushed over to both of them, kneeling in front of Loke first. He appeared to be the more battered of the two.

Loke brought up his hand to stop the young girl, "Heal Lucy first. I can wait." He glanced over at his key owner to see she was about to say something against him. The look on her face was enough to prove her worry. Wendy also seemed a bit hesitant to leave his side when he seemed to be in much discomfort at the moment. "Really, I insist." He looked over at Lucy again. "The power of our love is strong enough to keep me going."

His serious tone turned flirtatious instantly. Wendy had looked upon the spirit in slight confusion since she did not know him. She had no understanding of how he normally spoke to Lucy or woman in general.

"Power of love?" Lucy questioned in a tense tone. "Oh, come on, don't joke around like that." Despite trying her hardest to keep an even voice she found herself almost stuttering. Loke merely smiled as she was quickly embarrassed by his words. Swiftly, she tore her gaze away from him.

In a somewhat reluctant manner, Wendy went over to the blonde instead. She instructed her to lean back to she could place her hands slightly above her stomach region. A small glow came from her fingers as the healing process started. A light airy feeling coated her injuries as they were being mended.

Lucy could literally feel Loke watching at her. She closed her eyes and pursed her lips. Her cheeks were already tinged a light pink and she didn't need him making it worse. She told herself to focus on something else, anything to get her mind off of the overly observant spirit.

As an alternative, she turned her attention to Natsu and the others. He along with Gray and Erza looked to be in a rather serious conversation. Knowing it had something to do with what happened, she let a tiny sigh escape past her lips. They basically failed their mission. Getting into fights and almost being captured by the enemy, when it was supposed to be a covert operation, was unacceptable. Lucy felt like she was at fault.

"Alright, I'm finished," Wendy announced a few minutes later, snapping the blonde out of her thoughts. Lucy acknowledged this and sat in an upright position, feeling a whole lot better than before. There was no more pain to speak of but as much of a relief that was, she was still worried about Loke. She was also confused to why she of all people was important for their plan. She really hated when things like this happened, considering they occurred more than she liked to admit and not just to her.

Wendy shifted over to Loke and instructed him to do the same thing she asked of Lucy. "I'm not really sure how well I can heal a Celestial Spirit," the girl replied, already feeling some difficulty. "It might take me a little while longer so try and stay still if you can."

"That's quite alright," Loke said. "As long as Lucy stays by my side, that is." He gave her a playful wink which was just another one of his trademark qualities of being a playboy. Lucy stayed put, regardless of this small action but crossed her arms over her torso in reply.

She was trying her hardest not to let his mischievous attempts at flirting get to her. She had to keep reminding herself that the things he said weren't meant to be taken seriously. In spite of everything, the spirit would be this way with any girl therefore, she couldn't think much of his antics.

Loke did feel himself healing thanks to the sky dragon. As the burning sensations died down on his skin there was still an ever present pulsation on his of what type of magic it was, she should have been able to get rid of any injury. Wendy was an excellent when it came to her Sky Magic. The only downfall was using too much of it left her drained.

After about ten minutes passed, the small girl pulled her hands back and placed them on her knees, letting out a small breath of exhaustion. "Sorry, but I can't seem to heal you completely," she said apologetically. It was strange considering something like this rarely happens. "There seems to be a buildup of magic preventing me from finishing. Can you take off your jacket so I can get a better look at where you were hit?"

Loke nodded his head before sliding off his coat. After instructed, he pushed up the sleeve of his shirt to reveal a small burn like marking on his skin. From his angle he couldn't really see what was there. However, it was apparent to him that since the magic circle was meant for his master, it had to mean something. He had to wonder what it was they were trying to do to her. Lucy came over to get a better look as did the others.

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**I typed out this whole chapter and ended up not liking the majority of it so I rewrote it. I hope the fight scene wasn't boring, I really hate writing them but it needed to be there. I figured going with some kind of magic would work out better than Loke breaking Celestial Law since he already did that… and this will also provide more to the story line. Reviews are appreciated. **


	4. Back to Fairy Tail

**Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and many follows. Just to clear things up, I probably should have mentioned I was taking this before the S-class exam. I wanted to have it placed before the whole seven year time skip. Enjoy and please review. **

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Loke felt everyone's eyes on him as they all wondered the same thing he did. What was this strange marking on his shoulder? He was left with no ideas of what the purpose of it was. He had the suspicion that it was somehow preventing him from going back to the Celestial Spirit World, considering the fact that his magic felt blocked and every time he tried going back nothing happened. Getting a better look at the small inscriptions, he noticed he could not read them. From first glance the writing appeared to be similar to Freed's magic. The spirit looked up at the others.

"What exactly is that thing?" Natsu asked, moving closer to inspect it further. He squinted his eyes in hope of being able to see it better. "This makes no sense. It doesn't even say anything." He frowned still trying to comprehend the meaning of the odd markings.

"Yes it does," Lucy said, edging closer as well. As much as the lion spirit liked Lucy being near him, with the others close as well it was a bit uncomfortable to say the least. If they backed off with the exception of his master, it would be a different story. "We might not be able to understand it, but maybe Levy can. And I'm guessing this is the reason you can't go back to your world."

"I was thinking the same," Loke said agreeably. "It may hurt a little but I can deal with it for now. Regardless of that, what were you guys doing on this island? I assume you were taking care of a job?" He rolled back down his sleeve and pulled his arms through his jacket. Standing up, the others followed after him.

"It doesn't matter now. We were spotted which was the opposite of how this was supposed to go," Gray commented. He pushed back some of the black hair hanging in front of his eyes and looked upon his longtime friend. "In the end, we have no choice other than returning to Fairy Tail. Erza and I didn't gather any important info while we were flowing people and Natsu didn't have any luck on the ship. The only thing we did find out is that Lucy seems pretty important to them."

"There's also something else I noticed," Natsu said, folding his arms. "One of the guys Loke fought smelled familiar. I can't remember whose scent it was, but I know it from somewhere. Maybe we should just storm their ship and make them tell us what they want with Lucy. That way we can get all the answers we want and destroy their boat in the process." The blonde frowned at this while the others shook their head. A move like that would be counterproductive.

"I can't condone taking any actions that may put Lucy in jeopardy like that," Loke said, pushing his glasses up with a finger. "We're outnumbered. It makes no sense taking such a huge risk just to get information."

"And besides that, our orders we only to observe and figure out what they're up to," Lucy reminded the dragon slayer. She turned her head in Erza's direction. She was being unusually quiet. "What do you think we should do? The Master put you in charge."

The redhead closed her eyes for a moment. "Honestly, I think it's about time we head back to the guild. The longer we stay here, the longer we put ourselves at risk of being caught. Plus, we need to get Loke some help and then we can discuss what we should do concerning this job. Considering our general location has been made aware of, it might not be the smartest thing to carry out the rest of the mission."

"But how are we going to leave?" Wendy asked, looking up at the others. "We came here on their ship, so it's not like we can do the same going back." She had a good point. Getting on the boat the first time wasn't hard, but sneaking onto it a second time would be more difficult. Not to mention the fact that all of the crew members were likely made aware of there being wizards on the island. They would most definitely be either searching for them or on a higher guard.

"Don't worry, I've got that taken care of," Erza said with a small smirk. "Just take a look over there." Everyone turned around to see one of the ships rowboats hidden behind a few bushes, safely tucked away.

"Hold on, I was with you almost the entire time. When did you take that?" Gray asked utterly confused. "And how do you expect us to fit six people and two cats into that small thing?" He glanced at her and she merely shrugged. He let out a sigh. "I guess we'll have to deal with it since it's our only way off this island." Not that he was looking forward to being cramped into a small boat while he was most likely going to have to row. Using that as transportation meant it would easily take a few hours to get back to shore.

"Alright everyone, let's get going," Erza ordered, heading towards the hidden vessel. She, Natsu, and Gray carried it out of its hiding place and to the beach with the others following behind. Happy also tried to help them out in hopes of impressing Carla, but she simply paid no mind.

"Loke…" Lucy said quietly as she walked next to him. He glanced over at her as she continued to look straight ahead. "I wanted to thank you for saving me back there. I appreciate you protecting me from that last attack. Since I lost my keys, I wouldn't have been able to summon another spirit."

"Don't mention it," he replied back in a cool tone. "You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I am your valiant knight after all. I will always come to your rescue, no matter what."

He shut his eyes as he spoke and when they opened, he found her watching him. However, she quickly turned away when he looked up. The action didn't go undetected, but he said nothing about it, no matter how tempting. Instead he shook his head.

"Well, I still feel responsible for what happened to you. If I was able to handle myself better in a fight, you wouldn't have needed to come save me and end up in the state you're in now," she replied, using the tips of her fingers to brush though some of her hair. "I feel awful about the whole thing. That's why I don't like using you guys like shields; it's not right for you to get hurt for me. Now you can't return to home and I can't even force gate closure. After everything that happened before with…" Her voice drifted, but Loke knew she was about to say something about his previous key owner. Since he was banished from his world for three years, it felt almost cruel to put him through such a thing again, even though the circumstances were different.

"Lucy," he said in an outtake of breath as he took hold of her wrist, stopping her from walking. "Really, you don't have to worry about it." Despite his words she didn't seem too convinced. Walking in front of her, he made sure to make eye contact with her. "Everything will work out. Levy will figure out how to remove the inscription. As for being here, I don't blame you in the least. What happened with Karen has nothing to do with this in the slightest. Besides, think about it this way, the longer I'm here, the more time I get to spend with you." He was being completely serious regardless of how lighthearted he managed to make his last sentence.

"Okay, I'll stop blaming myself," she said, knowing he wouldn't stand for it. He smiled and gave her a small nod. It was just a little bit different than his normal one; it was the smile he used solely for her, even though she wasn't aware of that small fact. Lucy couldn't even begin to express how many times she almost fell for it either. She felt incredibly stupid feeling this way around him. He's just Loke and she cannot allow herself to be sucked into his charm. So why did the proximity between them have to be so apparent? "W-We should catch up with the others," she stammered, breaking free from his gaze.

Only pacing a few steps ahead, Happy suddenly flew next to Lucy as she made her way back to the others, Loke being a few steps behind her. "You _liiiiiike_ him," the cat said in a drawn out voice, trying to suppress his giggles afterwards.

"No, I don't!" Lucy yelled, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks in a matter of seconds. She kept walking trying to avoid another comment from the blue Exceed. Happy always managed to make these types of situations worse.

The blonde could still feel her cheeks burning even after they had all reached the shoreline. The tiny rowboat was placed in the water and Natsu suddenly felt the nausea coming to him a second time today.

"Maybe I'll just swim home," Natsu stated, clutching his already turning stomach. "I don't think I can handle being on another boat." Erza gave him a menacing glare and his attitude quickly changed. "O-On second thought, I'm ready to go," he added with nervous laughter, although he frowned right after. The requip mage was too much in a hurry to get off this island to deal with the fire dragon's queasiness.

"I guess we have to try and find a way to make everyone fit," Gray said, observing the limited space the boat had to offer.

"Lucy could always sit on my lap if we need to make more room," Loke openly spoke, hanging his arm around her shoulder.

"As if," Lucy replied with a small amount embarrassment hidden in her voice. She removed herself from him and crossed her arms. He seemed to be acting more flirtatious than normal.

"Must you make a remark like that every five minutes?" Carla asked, hovering above them. "This is neither the time nor the place. Getting off this island is more important than the seating arrangement. I suggest we get moving before we are spotted."

Agreeing with the cat's logic, they all got on the rowboat. Erza had to force Natsu on and he immediately went to the side hanging his head down almost submerging it in the water. Erza and Gray came afterwards, both of them taking hold of one of the paddles. Loke stepped on offering his hand to Lucy, who was hesitant to take it at first. Wendy was on last followed by Happy and Carla.

Lucy watched as the island slowly got smaller as they waves bobbed them up and down. She sat next to Loke having to be rather close to him and the others. As much as she didn't like being squished between people, she knew they had to get away from that place as quickly as possible, leaving her with no reason to complain about the restricted leg room. However, not much was being said. No one was really in the mood to hold a conversation. All they heard was the crashing of the waves and Natsu's small amount of whimpering.

Lucy leaned against the rim of the ship, at least as much as she could without disturbing other people. She may have left her whip behind, but her keys were linked safely on her belt and that was all that really mattered. The other weapon could always be replaced, but the small silver and gold object could not.

Goosebumps covered her skin as they were returned to the colder weather. She would have put her jacket back on but it was to torn up to be of any use.

* * *

When they reached the docks, Natsu was the first one off, overjoyed at the fact that he was once again standing on solid ground. The rest of them followed soon after, stretching their muscles in the process.

Once all of them entered the guild, they were greeted with normal yelling and brawls within Fairy Tail. Makarov sat on the counter speaking with Mirajane. Lisanna was spotted talking with Juvia. Cana was drinking in her typical area and the other members continued to go about their day as usual. Loke could easily tell nothing had changed from when he was last here. It has been quite a while since he previously stepped foot into this building and he felt fairly nostalgic just looking at the place. Although, considering how time was in his world, it literally felt like he was just a few days ago.

He could, without a doubt, recall all the times he spent the women who came just because he was here. As well as taking missions with Cana or Gray. Other than that, he normally took on solo assignments, especially when his time was running out. He didn't want to risk other people seeing him fade in and out as his body was slowly disappearing from this world.

There were so many memories for just those few years he spent in Magnolia. In some way being back here made him miss when he was simply a member of Fairy Tail. However, he wouldn't give up being Lucy's spirit to return to that life, a life in which no spirit should have known.

All of them made their way to where Makarov was sitting. He turned his attention to the group once they approached. "How did the job go?" he asked, already getting the feeling it didn't go as planned, judging on their outward appearance and looks on their faces.

"I'm sorry to say this, but we failed," Erza admitted. "Things got a little bit out of hand when we were spotted. Unfortunately, no information about their current reason for being there was obtained. We did find out they were they are after Lucy but we don't know why. I have a bad feeling about this whole thing."

The old man sat in thought for a moment. "For now we shouldn't make any hasty decisions. If they really are after Lucy than it would be best not send your group to the island again. I'll have to get another team to look into this for the time being." Pausing, he glanced over at the celestial spirit. "Loke, it's been a while. Is there a specific reason why you're here?"

"Actually, the thing is I can't go back to the Spirit World," he explained, placing his hands in his pockets. He gave a small shrug as if it was no big deal even though he knew differently. Makarov looked upon him not able to comprehend what he meant. Which alternatively lead to him having to explain what happened and there plan to get Levy's help. The old man however shook his head.

"Regrettably, Levy is out on a job with Jet and Droy. I would suggest getting Freed to lend a hand as well since inscriptions are his specialty, but he's out on a job with Evergreen. I suppose for now you'll just have to wait until either of them get back. I'm not sure how long they will be gone but they left quite some time ago so they should be back soon. You should just take it easy though. We don't know anything about that spell and we don't want to take any chances," Makarov told him after some thought.

"Of course," the spirit replied in full understanding. Erza started talking to Makarov and he turned to look upon the guild. He was surprised to see how many new members there were. Loke figured it wouldn't be so bad sticking around a little while longer than he expected. In the meantime, he might as well go speak with some people he hadn't seen in a while.

"Hey Lucy," Natsu called out, grabbing hold of her attention. "You feeling alright after everything that happened? I don't know why those guys were after you but you don't have to worry about it. I don't care what they want. I'm not going to let them take you. I'd sooner beat all of them up before letting that happen." He slammed his fist into the palm of his hand giving her one of his famous grins.

"Yeah, I'm alright… and thanks. I know you as well as the others would protect me," Lucy said, feeling a little better. She believed Natsu when he said those types of things and she was grateful to be so close with him after all this time. The trust they shared with one another was clearly seen by everyone in the guild. Still, the thought of something like this happening again was troublesome.

She didn't want a repeat of the events that transpired between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail. For all she knew, they could do the same thing.

* * *

As Loke was catching up with Cana and a few others, Bickslow approached him from behind. "I haven't seen you in a while," he said with his dolls floating near him. Soon after he spoke they repeated his last three words a few times. The fact that these two never got along well was apparent from the day Loke joined the guild. Before being able to return to the Celestial World, Loke was never able to defeat him in a fight but nothing ever became of their slight rivalry. Bickslow was always loyal to Laxus and the spirit had his own issues to deal with.

"I'm surprised to see you back in Fairy Tail after everything that happened, especially since Laxus isn't here," Loke commented, glancing at each of the small wooden object surrounding the wizard. However, he somewhat expected Makarov to be forgiving towards them. "I would like to put the past behind us but in all honestly I don't forgive those who attack Lucy very easily."

Some laughter escaped Bickslow's mouth as his tongue openly hung out. "Lucy doesn't seem to be angry about that anymore but if you need more time to forgive me then that's fine. But don't get the wrong idea. I'm not saying we have to make up and become friends or anything like that." He glanced to the side before talking again. "Speaking of that cheerleader, here she comes now," he remarked, spotting the blonde coming their way. "So are you two dating now?" he asked, teasing the girl once she approached.

In response Lucy placed her hands on her hips. "Not this again," she complained. Didn't this guy have anything better to do besides taunting her? "If you don't mind I would like to speak with Loke… Alone." She added in the last word when he didn't leave.

"Fine, I get it. I'll just see you later then," he said to both of them.

"Later then, later then, later then," Bickslow's dolls repeated before he walked away. Lucy shook her head after he left.

"So, Lucy now that we're by ourselves, what is it that you wanted to say?" he questioned, stepping closer to her. He smirked while she crossed her arms with a barely noticeable sight.

"Well, I was just wondering if you had anywhere to stay while you're here," the blonde stated. "Since you're probably not going to get home for a few days at the most, depending on how long it takes for Levy or Freed to get back."

"I haven't thought about that," he said back truthfully. That idea hasn't even crossed him mind. He was a little busy talking with the others to think about it. "I have no money so staying in a hotel isn't possible. I guess I could just ask the Master if I could sleep here for the time being. I'm sure he wouldn't mind as long as I slept downstairs. If not I could always find somewhere else. Why are you asking?"

Lucy fidgeted a little. She didn't want him just sleeping wherever. It crossed her mind to let him stay with her, but that would be awkward. Not to mention a little uncomfortable since he was always flirting with her. And there was also the fact that he was a guy. The pros and cons would take too much time to decipher and he was waiting for her to answer his question. She could kick herself for doing this. "I was just going to say that you could… stay with me until things are sorted out." She avoided his eyes, missing the surprise on his face.

"I couldn't possibly intrude. I'm sure I'd be an inconvenience to you," he remarked, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He was somewhat shocked she had asked him to begin with, but the mere thought was quite intriguing.

"You're still my spirit and I feel responsible for what happened. The least I can do is offer you a place to stay while you're here. It would make me feel more at ease knowing you weren't sleeping out on the streets," Lucy added with a slight blush coming onto her cheeks. "You don't have to say yes, I just thought I'd ask."

Loke thought about it for a moment. He could turn her down, but then again he really didn't want to. Besides, what could be better than living with her for a few days? He could see no down point to it. He had always wanted to spend more time with Lucy and this gave him the perfect opportunity. Of course, he would try his best to not make her feel uncomfortable with him as her guest, which could be a bit hard since she was flustered easily by him at times. "When you put it that way, how could I say no?"

* * *

**Things are moving along now that they are back at Fairy Tail. Obviously, Levy and Freed wouldn't be around, that would make things too easy. Next chapter will basically be Loke settling in Lucy apartment, both of them getting used to how things be with the two of them living together for a while**.


	5. First Day

**I was being really lazy and didn't want to type at all this week, luckily I got the chapter finished. (I did a lot of procrastinating though) I'll probably do the same thing for the next chapter too… Regardless, I'll be sure get it up next Saturday. Enjoy :) **

* * *

Lucy and Loke headed down the street after leaving Fairy Tail a matter of minutes ago. The late afternoon air was brisk and blew with some force. The lion spirit kept to his master's left as he walked with his hands in his jacket pockets. The blonde kept her head low, trying to avoid looking over at the man next to her. The wizard's cheeks were tinged a light shade of pink, but not from the coldness nipping at her skin.

Rather, it was from what happened before they left the guild. Her friends quickly found out about Loke's new living arrangements. Erza had pulled her off to the side asking her if she was comfortable having him spend the night and Natsu complained about not being to sleep in her bed again. That, in turn, only raised more questions.

Basically Lucy left in a hurry, with much embarrassment dragging the Celestial Spirit along with her. He of course found her being flustered pretty amusing but knowing if he commented on that, she'd only yell at him. Therefore, he kept silent about it. He only observed her from the corner of his eye. Seeing how she looked down, watching her feet with every step she took.

The moment they turned onto Strawberry Street, the water canal was visible. Doing as she normally would, Lucy walked on the raised wall and moved her arms outward to help keep her balance. Loke was going to question her about it, but decided against it. She looked calmer than before and from this angle quite beautiful, not that she wasn't always that way in his eyes.

When a warning to be careful came from a few men in a boat, as they passed by, she merely smiled without replying.

Placing one foot directly in front of another as she stepped, Lucy found tranquility in her usual routine. With the exception of Plue being the spirit that is ordinarily with her. She was well aware of Loke's presence as she could hear his footsteps nearly matching her own. Letting her eyes close for a brief moment, she breathed in the fresh air, allowing her fingers freedom from the sleeve of her coat. The fall weather had never felt more serene before.

Loke hadn't paid much attention to anything other than Lucy the whole time they walked. Silence was lingering between them, but it wasn't tense or stressing. It was the type of stillness that didn't need words to make it comfortable. His eyes never fully made its way to the blonde. He didn't want to her to catch his gaze so he continuously had to force his focus straight ahead, although that didn't do him much good at all. Whether it was his mind or his hazel orbs, some part of him was always fixated on the fair-haired girl. He didn't object to either, but he was sure she'd be uncomfortable under his watchful stare, if she were to notice.

When they reached the two-story complex, Lucy hopped off the slightly elevated ledge and entered the building. With Loke behind her, she strolled up the steps. After taking the key out of her pocket, she unlocked the door waiting for a click sound before attempting to move the doorknob. Upon entering her room, she turned on the lights.

"Well, here we are," Lucy announced a little awkwardly. "The bathroom and kitchen are through those doors." She pointed in the direction the two rooms. Remembering the huge amount of papers cluttering her desk area, she raced over there. "Sorry about the mess. As you know I wasn't expecting anyone over." Hurriedly, she threw the majority of the papers into the garbage bin besides her writing table while the others were put into a pile.

"It's alright," Loke told her in a calming voice. Taking his jacket off, he placed it on the back of a chair and looked around. This was the first time he had ever been here. There was a bed in one corner of the room neatly made, a desk newly cleaned, a bookcase, a dresser, a table with three chairs, another smaller coffee table and an armchair, all placed around the apartment.

He also noticed the vast quantity of books she had scattered throughout the apartment. Since she is a writer, it was obvious to him that she would read a lot. Momentarily, he did wonder how far she had gotten in her novel.

"It's very… pink," he said aloud, glimpsing at the wallpaper that surrounded every inch of visible wall space.

"Well, I happen to like that color," Lucy remarked as she left her desk area. Once she turned around they just looked at one another. The realization that it was just going to be the two of them alone for many hours was just hitting her. "Uh… I'm going to go take a quick shower. You can make yourself at home. You don't mind do you? I shouldn't take too long."

"Go right ahead, it's your place and after all, and I'm just a guest," Loke replied, taking a seat. She nodded her head, happy to finally be able get out of her dirty and slightly torn up clothing.

"Okay, but you better stay right there. I'd prefer not to have another repeat of what happened the last time you passed through the gate on your own," she said after pausing in mid-step.

"How was I supposed to know you were taking a bath?" he stated while moving his hands up in slight protest. "To be fair, you did ruin one of my suits by getting it all wet and you really didn't have to start throwing things at me either."

"Maybe if you didn't summon yourself whenever you felt like it, that wouldn't have happened. Sometimes I think you just have too much freedom being able to come out whenever you want." With a slight sigh, she continued walking. Loke simply rested his chin on his hand as he watched her leave the room.

Closing the door behind her, she locked it and leaned her back against the wooden surface. Lucy took a deep breath. She had no idea how to be when in the same room as him. She still had to think about what they were going to eat and where he was going to sleep. Not to mention what they were possibly going to do until Levy or Freed get back. Hopefully, they won't take too long to return.

She shook her head away from such thoughts. The mage left the door and turned on the water before looking in the mirror. Her appearance wasn't as bad as she originally thought it was after the events that took place.

* * *

It wasn't until Loke heard the water turn on that he realized he was still looking at the door she disappeared behind. Rolling up his sleeve, he viewed the strange marking on his shoulder. It no longer caused him pain but it still preventing him from going back to the Celestial World. He had never heard of anything like this before and quite frankly, he was unsure if anything could be done to remove it.

The only thing that kept him relaxed at the moment was knowing he was using his own magic rather than Lucy's, but he was unaware of how long he would be able to do that when it was blocked. As long as he was careful he was sure he'd be able to maintain his presence here. Truthfully, a spirit shouldn't be able to stay away from their world for very long. Then again, he wasn't like all the other celestial beings.

Tugging at his sleeve, he brought it back down, not wanting to try and figure out anything having to do with the peculiar inscription, seeing as he was only drawing blanks. Once again Loke's eyes browsed the room. He, of course, saw no bad points staying when with Lucy and considering his past, he was somewhat surprised she made the proposal to let him stay at her apartment.

He was very much aware that nothing was going to happen between them, even though he had his heart set on her for quite some time now. He was too much of a gentleman to take advantage of her hospitality.

Loke was conscious about the seriousness of this situation. The Spirit King wouldn't be very pleased knowing he was unable to return. If any blame was put on Lucy, he would without hesitation defend her, even if that meant receiving punishment. She simply mattered too much to him and he, in no way, was going to get her involved in something like that.

Loke wanted to prove his love to her and he's tried many times, but she hadn't exactly taken him up on the offer in the past. His endless amount of flirting could only get him so far. In reality, there was one contradiction to it all which was the one thing stopping him from just telling her his feelings straight out. Instead he sort of went around what he truly wanted to say. Since he never spoke seriously about the subject, how could he expect anything from her? A sigh passed by his lips just thinking about it.

* * *

The last thing Lucy did before she was ready to leave the bathroom was tie her hair up into a ponytail. She came out seeing him in the same spot he was in previously. After a small moment of hesitation, she walked over to the table, standing at the other end. "I could make us some tea if you want," she suggested in hopes of breaking the silence filling the room.

"Sure, it's been a while since I had any," Loke stated, nodding his head. She left the room and headed to the kitchen. She didn't really know what they were going to do for the next few hours before going to sleep. Talking seemed to be the only option.

Filling a pot with water, Lucy turned on the burner and placed it on the old-fashioned stove. While she waited for that to boil, she decided to rummage through her cabinets to see what there was to eat.

"I'm going to kill that dragon slayer," the blonde muttered under her breath. There was hardly anything left and she just went shopping a few days ago. She knew Natsu and Happy could eat, but this was just ridiculous. The only item of food she had left was a box of cereal. At least they were gracious enough to leave something for her… the next time she saw them they were going to get an earful. She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

When the tea was finished, she filled two cups and brought it out placing one in front of him and one on her side. Remembering about the envelope she received prior the assignment, she fetched it before taking a seat.

"What's that?" Loke asked after taking a sip of his hot drink.

"A letter from _Sorcerer Magazine_. Mira gave it to me before we left for the mission," Lucy replied, tearing it open. After unfolding the paper she read through it. "I can't believe they want me to be on the cover of next month's issue."

"Why is that so unbelievable?" Loke questioned. He was in that magazine several times himself, but the blonde mage was already well aware of that. In fact, the first time she ever heard about him was though one of their articles. He was even in her list of potential perfect boyfriends. "You're definitely attractive enough so it shouldn't be all that surprising." He rested one of his arms behind the chair and looked over at her.

"That's easy for you to say mister 'top ranked mage you want to have as your boyfriend' for just about every issue," Lucy commented in a mocking tone. "I just assumed they would have picked Mirajane or Erza over me. But doing this should get me some enough money to pay for my rent and maybe some extra spending cash." In truth she would really love to go shopping for more clothing and perhaps buy some more books.

"So, it's all about the money then?" he questioned with a watchful eye. "I thought you were better than that." He was clearly joking around with her but he tried his best not to show it just to see what her reaction would be.

"The rent isn't exactly cheap here, you know? Besides I'm not that shallow of a person," Lucy replied. She placed the letter on the table and took a sip of her tea before continuing. "Actually, this money could be quite useful. I could use it to buy a new outfit for the fall festival. I heard this one's a little more formal than the one in spring."

"I've only been to it so many times myself and dressing up for it is very important. It's one of the only events where you can't dress casually, at least for the evening part. The party going on a few hours beforehand, it's really just like any other festivity Fairy Tail has," Loke informed her.

"You should come this year. Ever since you became my Celestial Spirit you haven't been to any of Fairy Tail events. I don't know if there's some law about you leaving whenever you want but since you can summon yourself here, I don't see the problem," she specified.

"So, you want me to be there then? Lucy, are you by chance asking me to be your date?" he asked turning towards her. "I'd be more than happy to be your escort. In fact it could be our first real outing together."

"I didn't mean it that way," Lucy mumbled with a slight roll of her eyes. "All I'm saying is that you should come."

"I'll consider stopping by as long as you take some time to think it over before saying no," Loke replied bringing his eyes up to meet hers.

"Fine, I'll think about it but you really shouldn't get your hopes up," Lucy replied with slight reluctance. This was something she certainly needed to spend some thought on. Sighing, she turned her head to the left. Holding a conversation wasn't as hard as she thought, even though the most time they spent with one another was only a few hours at best. When he wasn't flirting or fooling around, talking with him was quite interesting. "But if I do say no, would you still come?"

"Maybe, but I'd rather wait for your answer first," Loke stated, adding in a small smile. In all honesty, he loved being around Lucy like this. They were free to talk with one another all they wanted, but still it was like walking on eggshells. He felt like he had to keep himself from getting too close to her. Metaphorically speaking that is, simply because he didn't want cross any unspoken lines. He had a great amount of respect for her, therefore he wouldn't want to do or say anything that could make things awkward between them.

Their discussion continued to other various things, but soon the tea in their cups ran out and it was getting later. When Lucy's stomach made a small growling noise she flushed in embarrassment. "I guess we should probably eat something," the blonde said. "All I have left is a box of cereal after Natsu and Happy's kitchen raid yesterday. If I knew, I would have gone food shopping earlier. If you want something else I could always run out and get us-"

"No, if that's all you have, it's fine," he said interrupting. Lucy nodded and was about to get up but he once again stopped her. "You stay here and I'll get it. There's no need for you to do everything." Before the blonde wizard could respond, he pushed his chair back and headed out of the room. He entered her small kitchen hearing her yell out where he could find everything he needed. Once he retrieved all the things she listed, he headed back to the mage.

It wasn't exactly the best thing to eat for dinner but considering the situation, neither of them minded. Loke sat back down letting her take whatever she wanted first and soon they found themselves back into a discussion.

* * *

Eventually Lucy to started yawn. "I had no idea it was so late already. We should probably get some sleep" she suggested, looking over at the clock. "We have to go to Fairy Tail first thing in the morning to see if Levy or Freed came back or if they sent a message. It's not that I want you to go leave as soon as possible, it's just I don't want you getting in trouble for something that shouldn't have happened in the first place," Lucy said, hoping he didn't get the wrong idea.

"Once the circumstances are explained I'm sure everything will be fine," Loke told her, even though he wasn't all that positive himself. The Spirit King wasn't exactly flexible when it came to Celestial Law. Regardless, he didn't want her worrying about it. "I'm certain a day or two won't really matter."

Lucy nodded before leaving the spirit alone once again to change. It felt kind of nice just sitting around talking to someone, rather than spending her time alone. After a while, things just became comfortable between them, but there was still a small amount of unease in the air. She wondered if he felt it too.

Placing her hand over her heart, she could feel it thumping and all she wanted the rapid beating to return to normal. Stuck between the flirtatious attempts he made towards her and his somewhat charismatic manners, she was lost at what to do with her own feelings. While Loke was open with his efforts to win her affection, she was still that little bit afraid of what might happen if she felt anything deeper than friendship towards the spirit. It was a contradiction all on its own.

Deciding it was best not to think about it, she released her blonde locks from the ponytail, letting each strand lay flat against her back. Taking the comb, she brushed through her hair before getting ready for bed.

Lucy came out of the bathroom wearing her pink pajamas. She headed over to her closet to get the things he would need for the night. "I feel bad making you sleep on the floor," the blonde commented as she took out a few extra blankets and pillows for him to use. "Trust me when I say it's not that comfortable." She laid the first blanket on the ground before setting up the rest for him.

"It's better than trying to sleep on that small chair you have. But how would you know that? Don't you normally sleep in your own bed?" Loke asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but that's only when Natsu and Happy aren't occupying it. Half the time I'm kicking them out of my house. Natsu doesn't even use the door like a normal person, he climbs through the window. Gray comes in through the chimney every now and again. Wendy and Erza are the only ones who enter a person's home like ordinary people," Lucy explained.

Loke didn't know what to think about this new information concerning the fire dragon. Didn't he have any respect for her privacy? Barging in is one thing, seeing as he sort of did the same thing, but even that was going too far in his book. Lucy seemed annoyed about it when she spoke, but she couldn't control what the overly hyper dragon slayer did.

"Well, goodnight," Lucy said once she walked over to turn out the lights. As she sat down on her bed, she immediately felt the tiredness from the day catch up with her. When the blonde started to pull the covers over herself, she momentarily stopped when something caught her eye. "What are you doing?" she asked as Loke was in the middle of taking off his shirt. Even though it was dark in the room she could still see him clearly. She blinked a few times before she felt blood rushing to her face.

"I prefer to sleep with my shirt off," he answered with a small shrug before sitting on the ground. It wasn't like he had anything else to wear. After he placed his shades to the side he looked up at the blonde. Noticing her stare, he smirked to himself.

"Can't you put it back on or something?" she requested, forcing herself to look away.

"Why does it turn you o-" A pillow was thrown in his face cutting him off. It fell onto his lap a moment later.

"Go to sleep!" Lucy yelled before turning around. She pulled the blankets up to her neck, still feeling the blush on her face. She heard a small chuckle coming from the lion spirit and she hid her whole head with the covers.

Loke placed the recently thrown pillow behind his head and stared at the ceiling. Moving his hand in front of his field of vision, he curled it into a fist, remembering what it felt like to be in this world again for more than just a few minutes at a time. His thoughts soon transferred to Lucy, when his arm fell to his side. He wanted to stay here with her longer, he wanted to be able to confess his feelings and be taken seriously this time. However, he couldn't bring himself to breathe a word of what he desired to say.

* * *

**I hope you liked the chapter and are looking forward to the next one. This is the first time I had one with just Lucy and Loke, which might happen in future chapters as well. Please review and let me know what you think. **


	6. One Step at a Time

**I just finished this chapter in time and as you can probably tell it's a little bit longer than my others ones. I focused more on them living together since that's a big part of the story. This one's just full of Lolu moments for you guys. Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites.**

* * *

Loke woke up earlier than he expected to and found it too difficult to fall back asleep. He turned to the side, facing away from Lucy. They would probably be heading to Fairy Tail soon. Part of him hoped that Levy and the rest of her team hadn't come back or made contact with the guild. He wanted to be by the blonde's side as long as possible, but he knew people were going out of their way for him. He allowed a small sigh to escape before he pushed his body off the ground. His muscles felt stiff from sleeping on the floor despite the carpet below.

Quietly, he folded up the blankets and placed them in one of the corners of the room. He grabbed his shirt and shades, placing the sunglasses on the desk instead of putting them on right away. He looked down at some of the papers still on the small area. He found himself curious about the words written, however he resisted the urge to pick up a single document.

The uncompleted novel was important to the Celestial Wizard and reading even one word could break some of the trust they shared. Not to mention if he got caught, she would surely beat him senseless. After all, Natsu had received quite a few good kicks in the face for rummaging through her things. His interest would have to be held off until she was willing to share.

He decided to get an early start and headed to the bathroom, in means of not disturbing Lucy's morning routine whenever she got up. By the time he finished and came back into the main room, the blonde was still peacefully sleeping. Fetching his azure tinted glasses, he placed them over his eyes, pushing them upward. He stood there debating whether or not to wake the woman he was contracted to. A quick peak at the clock quickened his verdict.

Loke approached the slumbering beauty and gazed down at her. The peacefulness in her expression made it hard for him to want to disturb her. For a moment he just let his eyes stay on her. If only he could let her sleep as long as she wanted to, unfortunately that wasn't an option.

He moved his hand forward as he went to push aside some of the loose hair hanging in her face, but pulled back a moment before his fingers could brush past her. He never really felt hesitation like this before. Knowing he still had to wake her, he placed his hand lightly on her shoulder, shaking her back and forth. He saidher name a few times before she responded.

"Five more minutes," she murmured, turning around and pulling the covers closer to her body. Again she hadn't gotten much sleep last night so getting up was not on her to do list. She didn't want to even think about doing anything today. Not hearing his voice again, she just about drifted off until she felt pressure on her arm once more.

"You know there are ways I can force you to get up," Loke informed her with in a slight playful tone. Lucy only hid her head under her pillow in attempt to make him leave her alone. She should have known that wouldn't work, no matter how persistent she was being, and she wasn't exactly fond of the way his words came out either. She heard a heavy sigh come from him before he took hold of her blanket and yanked it off her.

A shiver went up her spine from the sudden withdraw of warmth. With a moan from sleepiness, she sat up, glaring over at the lion spirit. He appeared to be rather content with himself. "Okay, I'm awake. Are you happy now?" she asked him in a curt tone, rubbing her arms in effort to stop herself from shivering. The chilliness in the apartment every morning was just another reason autumn was bothersome. "Give me back my blanket. It's freezing in here," she complained, trying to grab it from him.

Loke only pulled it away from her. Closing his eyes for a moment, he shook his head. "Sorry, but I can't. Remember, we still have to go to the guild and if I recall you're the one who wanted to be there early."

"I know what I said," she replied. Her tiredness was slowly being taken over by aggravation. "Can you just give it back?" She got off the bed and made another attempt to take hold of the covers. However, he took another step back, evading her. "This really isn't funny, Loke. If we're late, you and I both know the kind of assumptions everyone at the guild is going to make."

"That's not really my fault now is it?" Loke asked after a moment.

"Oh, really?" she questioned back. "Maybe if you hadn't been with so many women, that wouldn't be their first conclusion."

"Why Lucy, I'm hurt you think so little of me," he commented in a fake offended voice. "No matter how it appeared, I didn't just fool around with girls all the time. You're really not giving me enough credit here."

"Like you said, that was the impression you were giving off," the blonde responded. Moving forward, she managed to take hold of a section. She tried tugging the blanket towards her, but the spirit didn't budge. "This is no time to be playing tug-of-war."

"To do that, I'd actually have to be pulling back." She glanced over at him to see that he wasn't even doing anything regardless, she tried a second time. He actually found her attempt quite comical. "But if we were playing, you know I'd win," he commented, drawing the bedspread to himself, forcing her to take a few steps in his direction. "So, how badly do you want me to let go?"

"That depends on how long you intend to keep this up. You know we have to leave soon so why are you being so difficult?" she questioned, nearly stomping her foot down. At this point she had to look up at him to meet his eyes. Her grip remained tight as a frown appeared on her face.

She was still struggling to yank the blanket out of his grip but it was to no avail. The whole thing was just getting ridiculous. She should just walk away and yet her feet wouldn't move nor would her fingers loosen. Lucy let out a small breath. "Even if we did play that stupid game, who's to say that you'd win?"

"That one is simple, my love. I mean no offence, but if I was really trying, I could easily beat you. If you want, I can prove it to you," he suggested, getting a better hold on the pink material.

"No, you really don't have to. I think-" Before she could finish her sentence, he gave a small tug towards himself. Since she wasn't expecting to be pulled forward like that, she stumbled over her own feet, sending them both to the ground. With a groan, Lucy propped herself up before peering down at Loke. "You did that on purpose."

"Actually, it wasn't my intention to make you fall," he corrected before looking up at her. Their eyes met and he could hear the short intake of breath she took.

The mage appeared to be frozen in place as she hovered over him. They were pretty close to one another, which he was quick to notice. A light pink color soon took over her cheeks. She had opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. He would have made an attempt to move himself yet he didn't really want to lengthen the space between them.

Lucy stared down at him not really knowing what to do. Moving would be smart, but her brain wasn't functioning right now. The sudden rush of uncertainty in her actions threw her off, making her feel a slight waver in what she thought she felt for him.

Neither of them seemed to notice the sound of the window being opened from the outside or the two visitors making their way in. "Uh, what are you guys doing?" the dragon slayer asked after his feet were securely placed on the ground. He raised an eyebrow, giving a confused look.

"N-Natsu?" Lucy questioned, quickly glancing up to see him and Happy. Loke turned his head back as well. Of course, he just had to come over now of all times when they were in such a compromising position.

Lucy quickly removed herself from the ground. Embarrassment rapidly found its way to her face as more noticeable red color appeared. Loke was a bit disappointed when she moved away from him. He was enjoying the feeling of being so close to her, it was an experience he craved for more often.

"I fell, that's all that happened," Lucy replied, answering the fire dragon's question. "And I don't want to hear anything from you." She threw an accusative look at Happy, who was just about to say something after his giggling stopped. "Now if you don't mind I have to get ready to leave." She pursed her lips before walking away from the group. She headed for the bathroom and shut the door quite loudly behind her.

Loke stood there for a minute or two, looking around before his eyes fell over Natsu. Apparently, Lucy wasn't joking when she said he never uses the door. "So, why are you here?"

"I came over because I had to tell Lucy something," he said back. Natsu started to walk past him. Extending out his arm, Loke grabbed onto his scarf pulling him back from the direction of the room the mage was currently in.

"What are you doing?" Natsu couldn't be that dense, could he? Loke sighed feeling a bit aggravated at the moment. Obviously he was slow making the connection; it was clearly shown in his facial expression.

"But it's important," the dragon slayer countered, fixing his muffler once it was free from Loke's grasp.

"Even so you could have waited until I came out. You know how I feel about you walking in on me," Lucy remarked, stepping into the room. Her hair was pulled to the side in its usual style and wore a blue skirt with a matching shirt. "I've told you a thousand times not to just come into my house unexpected. Oh, and thanks a lot for eating all my food. How would you like it if I came over to your place and raided your kitchen?"

"You could but there's nothing good to eat," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Anyway, what I came over here to tell you guys was that we got a letter back from Levy, saying that they've been delayed but should be back sometime tomorrow. Nothing came back from Freed though. Why weren't you guys at the guild? I thought you said you'd be there by now."

"That doesn't matter," Lucy quickly remarked. Walking past the two boys and cat, she took her blanket off the ground.

"Aye, I think she's being secretive. Maybe something really did happen," Happy whispered to Natsu as he floated next to him.

"Yeah, me too but what do you think it is?" Natsu questioned, trying to figure it out as well.

"I can hear you." Lucy sent a glare in their direction before she started to make her bed. "I'm still going to stop by the guild but I can't stay very long, because of you, I need to go shopping sometime today," Lucy commented, still miffed at his inconsideration.

"Sorry about that, Luce. I'll make it up to you later," Natsu said, quickly apologizing. A moment later he raised his voice after an idea came to him. "I think I just thought of something you could do to send Loke back to the Celestial World!" The others quickly looked over at him.

"No way! Natsu actually thought of something!" Happy yelled out, immediately circling the room a few times.

"Just how little do you take him for?" Lucy muttered before seizing his tail. "And will you stop moving around like that. You're going to break something!"

Loke looked back at the dragon slayer after the blonde released the blue Exceed. "What is your idea, exactly?"

"You remember when I grabbed onto Virgo and we passed through the gate together? Why don't you just summon out another one of your spirits and let one of them bring him back?" Natsu asked, looking over at Lucy.

"I'm not so sure that's going to work. Besides, you shouldn't have been able to do that in the first place." She crossed her arms and glanced over at Loke. "What do you think?"

"In theory, what he's saying might be possible but I could be wrong." The spirit brought his hand up to his chin for a moment. "It takes magic to get between both dimensions, even if I somehow managed to get there, who knows if I'll be able to get back. It's too much of a risk to take and there's also the possibility that I'd be rejected from passing through the gate."

Natsu slumped his shoulder slightly. "Oh, well. It was worth a try. So I guess we still have to wait for Levy to come back. You guys want to go to the guild now?"

"When we get there, I can tell everyone what we saw," Happy said, flying between the blonde mage and Loke.

"Or you can keep your mouth shut because _nothing happened_," Lucy said back, almost raising her voice at the cat. "You always over exaggerate things so I really don't think anyone would believe you." Who was she kidding, of course they'd believe him, but if she acted like they wouldn't maybe Happy wouldn't bother. "How about we go to the guild and forget about it."

"You're acting kind of weird, Lucy," Natsu said, thinking her behavior was strange. "Come on Happy. I want to go find Erza and challenge her! I'll see you guys at Fairy Tail." He climbed out the window with a smile.

"Aye, can we get some fish on the way?" Happy asked, following him out.

"At least use the door!" she yelled, but he was already gone. "He's such a handful sometimes. I guess we should get going then. And no I really don't want to talk about it. Let's just act like it never even occurred." Every time that moment came to mind, even though it didn't last very long, her heart skipped a beat. Realizing how close they were, it was just too much to handle right now. Therefore, if it wasn't brought up, she should be fine. _Should_ being the key word.

"Okay, if that what you really want," Loke replied. "Just because we don't say anything, doesn't mean it didn't happen though." Seeing as it was an accident, he wasn't about to put much thought into it, but he kept wondering what would have taken place if Natsu and Happy didn't show up, if anything at all.

* * *

After leaving the apartment, not much was said between them. However, soon the silence started making her feel nervous for no reason. To fix that, some kind conversation needed to be brought up. The blonde turned to look at him before speaking. "I feel kind of bad that Levy isn't back yet. She could have probably had this whole thing figured out by now."

"How many times do I have to say it's fine. It's really no trouble," he said back trying to reassure her the best way he could. "Being able to walk around Magnolia like this is nice though, especially since it's just the two of us."

"You're saying that as if we never see each other," Lucy said back to him. "I understand that you have to stay in your world but since you're able to summon yourself out, is it really a problem if you came out to do things like this on your own? You tend do it a lot anyway."

"Technically, we really aren't supposed to do pass through the gate on our own all that much, seeing as most spirits are unable to," he replied. "The king didn't establish a law against it but if he did, I probably wouldn't be very good at following it. Of course, the only reason would be to see my beautiful key owner."

She turned away a little. "You really don't have to keep saying things like that." The Celestial Wizard didn't know how else to respond to what he said. His care meant a great deal to her, even though sometimes he could be a little too open with it. She still couldn't figure out why he made her feel so jumbled up inside, it was perplexing to say the least.

"What girl doesn't like to get compliments? Especially, if the one giving them means every word he says?" he questioned her back.

She shook her head a little, not really giving him an answer. "By the way, what was with the whole 'my love' thing earlier?" She noticed him say it before but never got the chance to ask him about it. "If you say those kinds of things in public, people are going to think we're together or something."

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked with a small smirk.

"It is because clearly we are not a couple." Normally when he started acting this way she would threaten to send him back to the Celestial World, but given that she couldn't, there was no point in bothering. Although, she wasn't even sure if she could close his gate if he was using his own magic, since she never actually tried before.

"Just a few words from you could change all that," Loke replied, his words coming out in a flirtatious manner.

The mage bit back on her lip. This was something she wanted to avoid talking about if possible. "You say that quite often, Loke."

"And I suppose I should know your answer will be the same, but you can't blame a guy for trying." Even if he asked her seriously, he was pretty sure her response would be no different.

Lucy wondered why he kept asking her those kinds of things, but she decided it was best not to voice the question. "Isn't there anything else we could talk about that doesn't involve that as a topic?"

"Of course, we can talk about anything you like," he replied, not all that surprised in the change of discussion.

There were a few things she could bring up, but she wasn't all that sure what he'd find interesting enough to hold a conversation about. Thinking about it now, they have only been alone like this a few times, the majority of last night, this morning, and every now and again in the past. Given that they would be at the guild shortly so she supposed the subject didn't matter all that much.

When she was just about to say something, they heard Loke's name being called out from behind. Turning around, Loke recognized the person as one of the girls he dated and suddenly broke up with before becoming Lucy's spirit. When he glanced at the other two girls accompanying her, he realized the same about them. This had the possibility of turning out badly.

All of them rushed over, looking upset and just a little bit angry. He had to think of something quick to say considering that he really didn't want his time with Lucy interrupted a second time today. "Uh, it's nice to see all of you again but I'm a little bit busy with someone else right now to talk."

"Hey, don't drag me into this," Lucy protested. She knew Loke didn't know what to do at the moment since neither of them were expecting to run into any of his old girlfriends. The blonde found it to be rather awkward. They all started talking at once apparently still distraught about his disappearance.

"I'm truly sorry about that," Loke said in response to their cries. "I didn't mean to hurt any of you. As I'm sure you know, I had my reasons breaking up with you all. I cherished the time we spent together, but all of you should move on. You shouldn't be with a man who cannot stay faithfully by your side at all times." There he was spouting out breakup lines; the girls however were not amused.

"Don't tell me you left me for her," one girl objected, pointing to Lucy.

"You wouldn't be with her right now if that wasn't the reason," another commented.

"Ladies please calm down," Loke said, trying to keep the peace. "Lucy has nothing to do what happened and besides I'm only in town for a little while. I understand why you're all upset. I know I left without telling you why but explaining it all right now, it just isn't the best time for that." He looked over at his master, hoping for some help.

"Look, if it's really that big of a deal I can go to the guild myself and let you guys talk," Lucy said mildly irritated. "You four seem to have a lot to say to each other and I prefer not to be in the middle of it all."

"Lucy, that's really not necessary," Loke objected. It's not that he didn't want to set things straight between himself and his former girlfriends, he was just enjoying being around the Celestial Mage so much he didn't want to leave her. He pulled Lucy off to the side a little.

"They obviously aren't going to leave until you talk to them. Just explain whatever you have to so we can go," she told him, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the situation. He looked like he was going to say something against her suggestion only to agree a moment later.

The wizard started to tap her foot impatiently after ten minutes or so passed. Just looking over at them, she felt a bit strange seeing him talking with those girls like that. The blonde refused to acknowledge the feeling as jealously. She plain out rejected the thought. She just kept telling herself the feeling would pass yet it just wouldn't go away. She couldn't fathom why she would be envious when it never bothered her before.

She had to get her mind on something else for a while however, he was taking too long. Just as she was about ready to leave without him, Loke came up to her.

"It's nice to know that you wouldn't even attempt to help me out after everything I've done for you," he said to her.

"If you told them the truth in the first place, this whole thing could have been avoided and I was getting tired of them blaming me for you leaving them. Besides, you probably hurt their feelings. I wouldn't be happy if someone did that to me either," Lucy explained, as she started walking.

Loke caught up to Lucy, staying in pace with her. "The good news is, now that that's out of the way, I can focus all my attention on you."

"That's just wonderful." Her tone held a little bit of sarcasm to it, which he picked up on right away.

"You didn't seem too bothered about my attention before," he reminded her. "I am curious to know why you didn't get off of me right away and don't think I didn't notice you blushing either. Kind of like you are right now."

"I-I told you not to talk about that anymore." Why did she have to keep stuttering around him? She just wanted to cover her face with her hands. Lucy forced herself to keep looking straight ahead, having no intention of even glancing in his direction until they arrived at the guild.

Noticing reluctance to speak to him again, he didn't say anything else about it, only smiled to himself. It was fine talking to those girls again, seeing as he used to date them all, but with them it was just physical attraction, which meant nothing if his feelings weren't attached. With Lucy everything was different, none of them could even measure up to the way she made him feel.

* * *

**I figured they would see Loke's old girlfriends eventually so I decided to get it over with now instead of later. I had to get some progress with Lucy's feelings as well, but there's still a long way to go before she's able to acknowledge what they are exactly. I hope I'm still keeping everyone's interest, had a very stressful week so finding time to type wasn't easy. If you can take a moment to leave a review, it would be much appreciated. **


	7. Awareness

**Another chapter done. I actually finished this one earlier then the last one. I really never know what to say in author notes, nothing exciting really happens to me. I hope you enjoy he chapter though. I'll explain some stuff at the end just to clear some things up.**

* * *

As soon as they arrived at Fairy Tail, Lucy knew something was up. It wasn't just the feeling of paranoia, she was positive Happy said something. There was no way he'd let something go that easily. Besides, so many people wouldn't be looking at them right now if he kept his mouth shut. The blonde wasn't very fond of the attention they were receiving at all. After everything that just happened, she really didn't want to deal with this right now. Taking a few more steps inside, she veered off to the side.

"Something wrong?" Loke asked from behind.

"You mean disregarding the fact that just about everyone is staring at us?" she questioned, turning to face him. "I'm just going to go talk to Mira for a while. I'm sure you can find something to do without me for the time being." She didn't really give him much of a chance to reply before walking away.

Lucy had approached the bar. Taking a seat, she rested her head down on the wooden countertop. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a long exhale. She figured the best thing to do was distance herself from the spirit just for a little while. It was easier to avoid questions that way. Really she could only blame herself. If she just got up on time in the first place, all of this could have been avoided.

The blonde let out another moan, vexed by her own thoughts. She lifted her head up that little bit to look around the room. Erza sat alone at a table eating a piece of cake, Lucy wondered how she could eat something like that so early. Not to mention the fact that she never gained a single pound from consuming her favorite food so often.

Wendy was speaking with Lisanna as Happy tried to impress Carla with a fish, which obviously wasn't working. Gray was having a conversation with Juvia, while Natsu was telling Romeo about one of the missions he had been on recently. She could tell just from the red mark on the dragon slayer's face that he already tried challenging Erza and evidently lost. He probably didn't even get the chance to fight back.

Upon spotting Loke, she had to turn her head a little further to see him better. He just approached Macao, Wakaba, and Cana. It was kind of strange to see him speaking with other guild members, rather than spotting him with his arms around two women. She supposed once word got out about his return, the girls from town would be stopping by once more. Nevertheless, as soon as he's able to go back to the Celestial Spirit World the hype would settle down once again.

At least he looked like he was having a good time catching up with everyone. It hasn't been that long ago that he became contracted to her, but he knew these people for about three years, there's no reason why he wouldn't enjoy being back even if the visit wouldn't be long.

Mirajane smiled to herself when she noticed Lucy looking in Loke's direction. When was this girl going to realize she had feeling for the Celestial Spirit? The white haired woman shook her head a little before coming over to the blonde on the other side of the counter. "So, Lucy, what did that letter from Sorcerer Magazine say?" she questioned, deciding to not bring up the lion spirit right away.

The blonde turned her head, not expecting to hear a person's voice at the moment. She quickly gathered herself to answer the S-class wizard's question. "They actually want me to be on the cover," she said back happily. "If I agree I get to have another interview with them and do some pictures for the winter spread."

She still wanted to take part in the swimsuit edition, but they haven't asked her yet. Mira got to be in it a lot and even Erza was requested quite a few times. Regardless of that being an ongoing issue within her, she was somewhat in high spirits about their current offer.

"That's great," Mira replied in her usual cheery voice. She noticed that Lucy's speech held more excitement than her face, as if she was speaking halfheartedly. "But why did you say 'if you agree'? I thought you would have jumped at the chance to do something like this."

"Well… I haven't exactly decided if I wanted to. With everything going on, I hadn't had the time to think about it. I know I could use the money but after hearing about Levy being delayed until tomorrow, it just slipped my mind," the brown eyed girl explained. Resting her chin in the palm of her hands, she sighed once again. "I know I should take to opportunity but you know how those things go."

"Yes, I do. There interviews can be rather personal," Mirajane said back, taking a glass from behind her to start cleaning it. "Those guys tend to get you talking about things without you even realizing the topic has shifted to something else. On the other hand, the pictures always turn out great. They take their time with those because they know that's one of the main reason people purchase the magazine."

Lucy nodded her head, understanding completely. "Still, I have to get back to them soon or they'll pick someone else. It's not for another few days so I have time to notify them, but I don't know what to do. What if Levy's unable to undo this with her script magic? Or Freed can't help either. I would feel worse and Loke would be stuck here longer, which could get him in trouble with the Spirit King."

"Lucy, just calm down," she advised in a soft voice. "I'm sure everything will work out. If Levy was able to put everyone back into their own bodies and break Freed's inscription spell on the guild, I'm sure this will be no problem for her. You know how smart she is when it comes to things like that. Freed is also very talented. I'm sure if one of them can't figure it out the other could. Besides, as you can see Loke's enjoying his time with us, especially with you." Mira gave her a small wink and Lucy placed her face in the palm of her hands, knowing she would say something like that eventually.

"Speaking about Freed," Lucy said, trying to veer the subject away from the lion spirit. "Why haven't we heard anything from him yet? Do you think he and Evergreen got into so trouble?"

The barmaid shook her head. "He's qualified enough to be an S-class wizard so there's no need to worry. If he thought the job was too difficult, he would have brought Bickslow along with them. If anything, he probably just didn't have time to send anything back."

"Why? What kind of job did he take?" the blonde asked, leaning forward on the table.

"Something about tracking down a group of rogue mercenaries, I think." She placed her finger on her chin, tapping it a few times. "It's a pretty dangerous job, but I'm sure it's nothing he can't handle."

"I hope you're right." The mage decided it was best not to be too concerned about that right now. She had plenty of other things preoccupying her mind at the moment, therefore adding another could only make things harder.

* * *

Loke stood around the table as he listened to Macao tell him about the time Natsu and Lucy saved him after he was turned into a Vulcan. He had heard bits and pieces of the story after it had happened, but never the whole thing. Even when the blonde first joined she was as courageous as ever, he couldn't deny that fact about her. The tale was a tad over embellished, like it always was, but he got the main point.

Hearing the sound of heavy footsteps hitting the floor, Loke turned around to come face to face with Gajeel. A frown was on both their faces, not that the iron dragon slayer really smiled that much to begin with. This was the first time the lion spirit had seen him in the guild or at all since the day he kidnapped Lucy. Loke knew he was a member along with Juvia, but he couldn't understand the Master's reasoning for letting them join Fairy Tail after everything that happened with Phantom Lord. However, he was not going to question Makarov's decisions. They must have proven themselves some time ago to still be here.

"Well, if it isn't lover boy," Gajeel said in a slight scoff. "I guess I was right when I said you weren't an ordinary holder-type wizard, but I would have never guessed you were a Celestial Spirit. You still have that weird smell to you." He crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at him.

"I thought I told you I don't like being sniffed by men," Loke commented back as he pushed his glasses up. "I can also see that your personally hasn't changed either. You still look down upon those you think are weaker than you." He spoke like he was stating a fact rather than an opinion.

"You're just saying that because you lost within the first five minutes of our fight, seems pretty pathetic if you ask me," the dragon slayer said, adding in one of his grins. "I bet you're still mad about that whole thing that happened with Lucy."

"You could say that," Loke replied with a shrug. "I know you beat her up pretty badly, but if Lucy can forgive you then I suppose I have no reason to be angry with you. I just don't trust you," he added with a small smirk of his own.

"No one's asking you to," he bluntly replied, sending a glare at the spirit.

Sensing the slight tension in the air, Wakaba spoke up. "No need to start a fight," he said, bringing up his hands.

"We really don't need any more of that going on," Macao added, seeing as there were a few people in brawls already.

"I say let them if they want to. At least that would make today somewhat entertaining," Cana commented. She took a large sip of her drink before speaking again. "We can even take bets on who will win. What do you guys say to that?"

Loke made no reply to what Cana said. He wasn't really the type of person who would get into a fight unless he felt it was necessary. More importantly, he still wasn't sure if using his magic right now was the best idea. Going up against a dragon slayer didn't seem all that smart either.

"I wouldn't waste my time," the iron dragon said. "I get enough challenges from Natsu, so I don't need anymore. Maybe I'll accept a challenge some other time but I have a job to take care of right now." Gajeel wore a semi-annoyed look as he spoke his last part of his sentence. Makarov still needed him to take another trip to Raven Tail to gather more information. It was an ongoing secret mission and now was just around the time he had to report to Ivan.

* * *

There was a sudden pause before Mirajane said something. "You know Lucy, you and Loke would make a really cute couple," she admitted to her. "He obviously likes you."

"Not this again," Lucy whined. "First you say that about Natsu, which had me basically freaking out all day for nothing. Then the next day, you told me the same thing about Gray and now Loke. Sooner or later you're going to start saying that about Gajeel or Laxus."

She put her hands on her head and leaned down on the counter. It was a small tendency Mirajane had, which ended up making things worse between her and whoever she spoke of. She still couldn't believe she thought Natsu actually asked her out on a date when really he only needed Virgo to help him dig a hole, the whole thing ended with her slapping him and running away, feeling like a complete idiot.

"I wouldn't go as far as saying those two," she replied, referring to Laxus and Gajeel. "Isn't Loke always saying how much he loves you? I think it's really romantic. Can you just imagine how you two would be as a couple? I bet he wouldn't even look at another girl once he's with you." She had a smile on her face clearly thinking she knew what she was talking about, however Lucy wasn't about to agree with her.

"He always says he loves me," Lucy stated, looking down. "But I can't really believe him when he says it." Mira looked over at her confused so she continued to explain things further. "He told me before that 'our love' allowed him to pass through the barrier between the Celestial World and here without my call. He even made this thing with his magic having the words 'I love Lucy' written. Silly little things like that."

"Oh yeah, I remember Loke coming to the guild quite a few times on his own," Mira replied going off on another thought. "He'd normally take jobs with Cana, since he was her partner before becoming your spirit. I even saw him hanging out with Gray a few times."

"Like I said before, too much freedom," Lucy muttered to herself. "Clearly, Loke hasn't changed all that much. He still gets a lot of attention from girls. You should have seen what happened on the way here. Running into his old girlfriends wasn't exactly what I'd call fun."

Mirajane tilted her head. "Why, what happened?"

"They started blaming me for him leaving them and we both know that's not the case. Loke pretty much explained his reason for breaking up with them the way he had, but still it was annoying." Lucy started drumming her fingers across the table, frowning slightly.

"If you ask me, you sound a little jealous," she informed the blonde, with a small laugh. Placing the glass down, she went to get another to dry off.

The seventeen year old quickly shook her head. "Please, don't even go there. I would never be envious over something like that. Even the thought is just ridiculous." Lucy crossed her arms, but there was a small part of her that knew she was lying. "Anyway, back to the point I was trying to make before. Basically, Loke never say's that he loves me directly or seriously. On the other hand, he's not exactly subtle about it either."

"Maybe there's a reason for that. You know the way he is, in fact you probably know him better than anyone. Loke can be a pretty complicated person if you think about it," Mira pointed out, quickly glancing at her friend.

"Yeah, he definitely can be hard to figure out sometimes," Lucy said, her voice fading a little. She could easily think back to when he was trying to hide the fact that he was a celestial spirit. He was so reluctant to let anyone in. It confused her greatly at first, but after hearing his story, she was able to understand. The mage propped up on her elbows and rested her chin in the palms of her hands before continuing. "In the end I guess it really doesn't matter though. It's not like I'm just waiting around for him to declare his love or something like that."

"Really? Because a lot of girls would be saying quite the opposite." She smiled a little before catching Lucy look to the side for a second. She couldn't say for sure if the glance was at the spirit in question, but it sure seemed like it.

"Well, I'm not like those girls. I don't just fall for a guy because of his looks," Lucy said in a defensive manner.

"Technically, you did fall on him this morning." The barmaid giggled a little at the face the blonde made.

"That incident is going to haunt me for the rest of my life, isn't it?" she asked in a slight muffled voice after she buried her head into her hands. Slumping down in her seat, her heart suddenly felt heavy and she couldn't explain why.

"To me it just seems like you're not all that sure about how you feel. That's not necessarily a bad thing either. You should take the time to figure it out, maybe talk to Loke about it?" Mirajane knew that when it came to things like this, Lucy would deny every accusation thrown at her. However, she was also aware that the celestial wizard had a hard time dealing with her own feelings, whether she was conscious of that fact or not, Mira would never know.

"Yeah, right. I can just see how that conversation would go. I thought I already made it clear that I don't have feelings for him. Meaning, there's nothing to sort out between us… Loke just makes it so hard sometimes. If anything, I just want to know where we stand." Lucy sighed, thinking about something for a moment. "We've hardly spent a day together and I just feel like-"

"Hey, Lucy!" Natsu called out, racing up to the bar. "Check this out!" Despite the obvious fact that he just interrupted their conversation, he shoved a piece of paper in her hands.

"A job request? You know I can't leave right now." She let out a sigh and read through it anyway. Lucy thought it would be best not to finish that sentence. Hopefully, Mirajane wouldn't ask her about it later. "I'm pretty sure you can do this one on your own."

"Yeah, but jobs are boring without you. Besides, I made sure this one was in town and Loke could come along too," the fire dragon explained. "It's not very exciting if you ask me, but you still need money, so I figured I'd look for one you would like. What do you say?"

Lucy thought about it for a minute or so. Levy wasn't coming back until tomorrow, so no harm there and she really didn't want to spend the rest of the day avoiding everyone in the guild or being stared at for that matter. Getting out could do her some good too. "Fine I'll go, but I should probably ask Loke what he wants to do. I'll be right back."

The blonde left the bar and headed towards the center of the guild, passing Gajeel on the way. By the time she reached the table Loke was sitting at, she heard them talking about the iron dragon slayer, seeing as he just left them moments ago. Bringing her hand out, she tapped on Loke's shoulder instead of just calling out his name. "Can I talk to you about something?" she questioned, once he turned around.

He nodded, leaving the table with her. From the look on her face, he knew nothing was wrong but she still seemed bothered by something. "What's that?" he questioned, pointing to the paper she had with her.

"Natsu wants to do a job with me and I just thought I'd ask you if you wanted to come too. It's in town and it doesn't appear to be all that difficult," Lucy explained, handing him the request notice.

"Sounds good to me. What would we have to do exactly?" Loke asked, not bothering to scan through the description. Of course he would take the opportunity to do something with her, even if Natsu was going to be with them.

"Well, the local museum is getting a new shipment of artifacts and all they need are some wizards to guard them. I highly doubt anyone is going to try and steal anything in broad daylight, but they can't be careless." Lucy paused and looked over at Natsu, seeing him just about ready to leave. Happy was already with him so they were just waiting for them now.

When she turned her head back around, her eyes lingered on Loke for a moment as he kept his focus on the paper. Everything said between herself and Mira about the lion spirit hit her all at once, but even the possibility of having feelings for him was impossible, right? Then again, questioning herself wasn't exactly a good sign. She forced all thoughts down with one swallow. Mirajane always did this to her. She was overthinking things again, that's all it was. She absolutely held no affections for him whatsoever.

"Anyway," the blonde said, speaking up again. "We pretty much have to leave right now. We shouldn't be there very long, depending on how much stuff the museum's getting. My guess is it will only take a few hours at most. I can't really see it taking all day."

"I'm ready to go whenever you are," Loke replied. He didn't mind being at the guild, but he couldn't say no to something she asked. It was pretty clear that she was avoiding being near him up until now because of what Happy told everyone.

"I guess we should get going then," she replied, trying to avoid holding eye contact for an extended amount of time. "I just hope Natsu doesn't break anything this time. I really can't afford to pay for the stuff they have at the museum. Knowing him, something's going to happen so you might as well be prepared for that." She started walking towards the front of the building with Loke right behind her.

"Took you guys long enough," Natsu complained. "Oh well, let's go." He ran out of the guild only to stop and turn back to the others after a few steps. "Can we stop to get something to eat on the way there? I'm starving."

"Aye, we should stop for some fish," Happy added.

"We're going to be late if we do that. You should have just eaten before you decided to look for a job." She shook her head and heading down the street. Natsu sulked a little, but quickly got over it. Lucy kept her pace even with the two guys next to her, able to keep a conversation going between the four of them.

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**I'm probably not going to do anything involving the mission they just went on, I needed something for them to do to make some time go by. I wanted to move on and have Levy come back in the next chapter. There is a reason why I had Gajeel and Loke talk, you'll have to wait and find out though. Just so you don't get the wrong idea, Raven Tail had nothing to do with my story. Review and let me know what you think.**


	8. Research

**Things have been a bit hectic lately but the chapter got finished. Thanks for all the follows, I'm happy that people are looking forward reading my story. I hope you enjoy the new chapter. **

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The mission had pretty much gone the way Lucy expected it to. Natsu ended up breaking something, meaning they all had to pay for it, besides Loke since he didn't have any money. Other than that being an issue, a group of robbers showed up just as the last artifact was being brought into the museum. Against the three of them, they really didn't stand a chance. It was during all the fighting that Natsu knocked the object over, smashing it into tiny pieces, leaving no way for it to be put back together.

They didn't get compensated, leaving Lucy unhappy since she was still struggling to pay her rent this month. Sometimes she questioned why she got a place as expensive as that one. The job finished late at night so in the end they separated and went to their own homes. Natsu wanted to stay at her house because he liked sleeping on her bed so much, but Lucy refused right away, saying something on the lines of one house guest is enough.

The next day, both Lucy and Loke went to the guild, she made sure to keep clear of any incidents like the one the other day. Things were pretty much back to normal around Fairy Tail. Jobs were being taken and Natsu was already fighting with Gray.

The blonde once again separated from Loke, this time to talk to Erza and Wendy. Lucy told them a little bit about the mission the other day since they asked. She was still feeling a bit tired out from it and instead speaking more, she asked them what they did yesterday. Wendy spent the day with Carla, walking around Magnolia for a while. Erza took a small job of her own, finishing it within a few hours, managing to have enough time to come back to the guild.

It wasn't until late in the afternoon that Team Shadow Gear came back. As soon as Levy came through the door with Jet and Droy, Lucy approached her, greeting her with a small hug like they normally would after not seeing each other for a while. "How was the job?" she asked, instead of getting straight to the point.

"Same as always," Levy replied. "I think traveling took longer than the actual work. It was pretty easy though. We got the letter from Mirajane on our way back. It didn't have many details though. How's Loke holding up?"

"He's actually doing pretty well. Besides being kept here, the spell doesn't seem to be having any other effects," Lucy explained. "Hopefully, you'll be able to figure out how to remove it."

"Well, I'll try my best. We should get started right away." Levy paused and glanced around. "There's a free table over there." After the two of them walked over, the script mage took a seat while Lucy looked to see where Loke was at. However, she didn't have to search very long.

"There you are," Lucy said, noticing the spirit approach them. "I was just about to explain the rest situation to Levy." Her eyes washed over him but she didn't look at him directly. She couldn't bring herself to gaze at Loke, knowing she wouldn't be able to turn away without some difficulty. The celestial spirit nodded, taking a seat next to his key owner. While clarifying the problem Levy listened intently to catch all the details.

"Let me see if I got all of this," Levy said once they were finished. "Basically the attack was meant for Lucy but Loke got hit instead. The incantation of the magic circle took two people and now you can't return to the Celestial World." She brought her finger up to her chin, thinking about it. "Well, I guess I should take a look at the markings first."

She glanced up at the two of them sitting close. She noticed how they seemed rather comfortable with one another. They briefly explained how Loke was staying with Lucy but didn't get into it all that much. She wondered if anything was going on between them, but wouldn't ask when there was work to be done.

Loke left Lucy's side to do as Levy instructed. Taking off his green jacket, he placed it on his now unoccupied seat and rolled his sleeve up so she could see his shoulder. Once the blue haired wizard had her glasses on she squinted her eyes while looking at the strange shapes. Muttering some things to herself, she jotted down a few notes.

Loke tried looking over at them, but was told to stay still. He felt bad, hoping that she wouldn't be able to figure it out, at least not right away. Holding in the urge to sigh, he gazed at Lucy. She fiddled with her fingers while waiting for her friend to say something.

"This is more difficult to read than I thought it would be," Levy said, peering up at the two. "From what I understand, since Loke is a Celestial Spirit, the magic is having a slightly different effect on him than it would have if it was on Lucy. The only problem is I've never seen these kind of patterns before." She wrote something else down before turning back up to look at her friends.

That wasn't a good sign. If Levy didn't know about it that meant that specific kind of magic wasn't often used. That lead Lucy to think about the reason why it was going to be casted on her in the first place. "Is there anything you can do to get rid of the spell?" She glanced up to see the mage in deep thought while studying the mark once again.

"There's always a way to reverse magic. I don't know the full effects, but it still might be possible for me to find a way to remove it by rewriting the words." Levy answered breathing out lightly. "It's just going to take me some time to figure everything out."

"What does that technically mean?" Loke asked, looking down at the girl. He wanted to stay here longer, but he knew at some point in time he had to return home. The Spirit King was most likely livid by now. Punishment would without a doubt be given, but he wouldn't trade the time he spent with Lucy for anything.

"It means you're going to be stuck here longer. I'm not entirely sure what I need to do at this point. All I know is it will be more complicated to undo since two wizards were needed to make the magic circle." Levy explained. "I'll do the best I can for now, but I might need Freed's help."

"He's still out on a job," Lucy informed the girl. She rested her arms on the table in thought. Seeing as she was going to need more time to decipher the inscription, Loke was going to be staying with her didn't mind the extended amount of time, in fact she was a little unsure how to feel about it right now.

It's only been two days, but she was already getting a bit stressed about the situation. Would there be more awkward silences between them or will everything go back to how it was? If Mira wasn't putting all these ideas in her head, she wouldn't be mentally freaking out at the moment. She tried her best not to show her distress of the situation, but wasn't doing a great job at it.

On the inside, Loke was wondering about the same thing she was. He figured everything would work itself out in the end. The whole situation concerning the Spirit World weighed a little more heavily on him, but he was a bit cagey to bring it up. "It looks like you and I will be spending more time together," Loke said with a smile.

"I guess so," Lucy replied, not really knowing how else to reply.

He was bouncing her emotions all over the place since he started living with her and she honestly didn't know what to make of it. She subconsciously started to tap her fingers in the table in a nervous manner to avoid having to look at him. Part of her really hated feeling this way.

"It's not a problem is it?" he asked, noticing her flustered disposition surfacing.

"No, of course not," she responded, still in a slight thought, making his wonder if it really was or not.

"Anyway," Levy commented, seeing as both of them seemed to forget she was still there. "I need to get back to work. I just want to look at the symbols for a few more minutes. Then I'm going to have to run down to the library to see if I can find anything remotely similar. For all we know they could have used forbidden magic. I'm pressed on time so I'll work my hardest to get this figured out as soon as possible."

"I'll come along and help," Lucy offered. After all, she didn't want Levy to be doing all the research on her own.

* * *

"I can't believe we can't find anything," Lucy complained. She, Levy and Loke, who opted to come along, spent a few hours looking through books trying to find anything that appeared to be the same. Putting the piece of literature back on the shelf, she turned to face her blue haired friend. "This is beginning to look hopeless and I'm tired of reading, there're too many we could go through."

"Why don't you ask someone for help? I'm pretty sure there's a guy up at the front desk. He'll probably be able to tell us if there are any other sections to look in," Levy replied, her eyes glued to the page she was currently reading.

"Fine," Lucy said in a small huff. Moving around the small mountain of volumes the script mage went through already, she hurried to the front desk, passing Loke on the way.

He absently flipped through the pages of an old paperback, not really into the whole research thing. He only decided to come along so he could stay with Lucy, but she went with Levy, asking him to search in the area he was in now. The lion spirit was quickly bored searching on his own, only to come up empty handed. Closing the cover, he leaned back in his chair glancing up at the ceiling. He hadn't notice Lucy walk by as he was too preoccupied within his own mind.

However, he brought back when he heard the blonde's voice as well of that of another male's. Pushing his seat out he peered around the bookshelf to make sure he wasn't hearing things. She was indeed speaking with a man probably no much older than herself. His eyes hardened at the sight and a strange feeling overcame him. A form of anger wedged its way into his heart. All Lucy was doing was talking, but he was bothered by it, not by her but with the person she was speaking with.

Jealousy had never been an issue before. He was the one constantly surrounded by beautiful women, but it didn't matter to him if one of them went astray. Loke clearly didn't have feelings for any of them; they were only a distraction anyway. At the time, he just wanted the pain of the past to stay buried as deep as possible.

Now things were different. Lucy wasn't just another girl to him. He didn't quite understand this feeling, having never dealt with it before, all he did know was a wave of protectiveness for the blonde held a tight grip on his emotions.

Narrowing his eyes in their direction, he contemplated on what course of action to take. He could do nothing and head back to researching. After all, interfering may anger her, but then again this sensation would continue to nag at him until the two separated. Wariness was soon added when he saw Lucy's pretty smile make its way across her face.

A burning sensation was rapidly brought on and his fingers clenched together. He was going to go over there determined to not let an inkling of protectiveness spill out. Moving out of the enclosed space, he approached the two immediately bringing one arm around his contractor's shoulder. "So Lucy, have you found anything yet?"

"No. That's why I was asking for help," she replied, slightly suspicious of his random appearance. Turning away from the spirit, she faced the boy again. "Anyway as I was saying. Do you know of any book that contains any information we're looking for?"

"Not to interrupt," Loke said before an answer could be given, "But I thought I heard Levy calling you or something. Maybe she found something." He didn't want to lie to her, but that pesky feeling remained. The only way to resolve it would be to separate them. "I'll see if he knows anything and let you know if he does."

"Whatever," Lucy replied nonchalantly, slipping out from his grasp before heading back to her friend. Although part of her didn't believe him. "Did you call for me earlier?" she asked once she reached the table Levy was sitting at. She shook her head no and the blonde slumped down on the wooden surface. "Then why would Loke tell me he thought you were?"

"Perhaps he was jealous you were talking to another guy," the blue haired wizard suggested. This time she looked up to see the blonde's reaction.

"Yeah right," she responded in a slight mutter. "I don't see why he would be. All he did was come over and…" She let her sentence drift as she no longer spoke her thoughts. He put his arm around her the moment he came over and was quick to shoo her away. Quite frankly, she didn't know the lion spirit would feel that way just over something as small as that. "Alright fine, maybe he was but it doesn't matter anyway."

"Why is that? To me it looked like you two are getting along pretty well, if you know what I mean," Levy said with a small grin on her face. "Besides that, he's always had a thing for you. He still does. It's kind of romantic if you think about it." She cheerfully looked at Lucy who frowned at her response. "Is something wrong?"

"You're starting to sound like Mira now," Lucy complained. "We might be getting along but that doesn't mean something's going on between us. Everything's still the same as it was before." She dragged out the last few words of her sentence without realizing it. "Maybe I should just go back over there and-"

"No, don't do that," Levy interrupted. "If Loke really does feel that way, going back to talking with that guy would only make things worse. I think you should just go ask Loke if he found out anything after they're done talking. Besides it's getting pretty late and the library won't be open much longer." Looking back down at her book, she heard a sigh from the blonde before the sound of a small screech the chair made when it was pushed out.

Regardless of what she wanted to do, she went in search for the lion spirit. It took a few minutes of her time to find what section he was in. The Celestial Wizard spotted him leaning against the bookcase skimming through a few pages.

He held a prominent frown on his face and she suddenly felt bad thinking it might have something to do with her. Observing from afar, she lost her resolve to go and speak with him. Even though Lucy hated to admit it, she had just felt jealous the other day because he was talking to his ex-girlfriends. It might have been partially her fault, but nonetheless it still hurt.

Her eyes lowered to the ground. Sighing lowly to herself, she watched her feet as she made her way over to him. The moment he noticed her approaching, a small smile returned to his face. "Did you find anything?" she asked in a hushed tone, although she didn't know why her voice came out so low.

"Yeah, I think I might have. Come look," Loke said, lowering the book so she could see. She walked over and stood close to him. He briefly paused when her shoulder brushed up against his arm. Clearing his throat, he pointed to a specific section. "This spell is obviously different than the one placed on me, but the markings seem similar. It's a tough spell to master and it seems that only few know the proper way to cast it."

Lucy nodded her head, letting him know she understood. "Just from looking at this small segment we can tell there's not a lot of information." She skimmed through the paragraph once again. "Maybe what we need to do is talk with someone who knows how to do this spell as well as cancel it. As of right now that looks like the only way we'll be able to get any information about it."

"Do you know anyone who can? If not then searching for someone could take a while," Loke said, glancing down at her.

"I don't know anyone myself but Erza does," Lucy said, recalling what the armored mage said about it. A short while after the whole Nirvana thing was over, the blonde managed to spend some time to just talk with the redhead.

That was the only time Erza opened up about Jellal to her. Not much was said, but it was enough to make Lucy understand her friend's feelings towards the blue-haired man. However every word she spoke was said in confidence that Lucy wouldn't breathe a word of it, therefore she would say nothing like she promised. "Tomorrow I'll talk to Erza and we'll see what we can do."

"Alright," Loke agreed, even though she didn't fully explain herself. Just as he placed the book back where he found it, Levy came over to them, letting them know the library was closing in a few minutes.

On their way out everything they found was explained to the script mage as well as their plans for the next day. When the time to separate came, Lucy was once again left alone with the spirit.

Loke placed his hands in his pockets as they walked, "Since I'm staying here longer than we originally thought, I would completely understand if you no longer wanted me to stay with you."

His words seemed to drift off in the wind as Lucy said nothing back for quite some time. Only their feet hitting the stone road below could be heard. Of course he didn't want to leave, but lately things have been getting tense between them. He was having the hardest time not acting on his feelings.

"Don't be ridiculous," Lucy said, finally speaking up. "I offered you a place to stay until you could return home and I intend to stand by it. And don't go saying something stupid like you don't want to be a bother to me anymore."

She turned her face abruptly to the side, signaling she wasn't going to accept him leaving. He was a little invasive of her personal space most of the time, but that was no reason to kick him out and maybe just a little part of her wanted him to stay.

Another silence took over but the blonde couldn't take any more quietness between them right now. "How are you doing anyway? Not being able to go back to the Celestial World must be pretty tough."

"You know I have no problem maintaining my presence here," Loke responded with a small shrug. "As for not being able to go home, I don't mind it all that much. I know I can't stay here forever but I might as well enjoy the extra time I have with you. Wouldn't you agree, love?"

Lucy almost slowed down her pace. That single word repeated in her head a few times, causing a few questions to come to mind. How could he call her such a thing when they weren't even together? She couldn't understand why he kept addressing her that way. It wasn't exactly annoying and maybe she was just getting used to it by now, but that didn't mean he should keep saying it. "Can't you just stick with calling me Lucy? It's too embarrassing…"

"I really don't understand why you're so bothered by it. You don't seem to mind Virgo calling you princess," the lion spirit noted with a small upturn of his lips, ignoring her request.

"That's different," she quickly remarked. Besides she kind of liked being addressed that way by her.

"If you say so, but I really don't see how it is," Loke said back.

Lucy sort of regretted making a comment about it in the first place, seeing as now they were going back and forth on the subject, only to stop when they reached the apartment building.

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**I had to get Jellal in there somehow and I figured that could work. I did say there would be some Jerza so you can look forward to that soon, probably not in the next chapter though. I would like to believe that I can keep things in character when it comes to them, but I guess you guys will have to let me know.**


	9. Rising Questions

**So tired, stayed up late last night again… This chapter is really just to build up to the next one and a few others but the relationship needs to be focused on just as much as anything else. Enjoy and don't forget to leave a review. **

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Lucy shifted in her sleep, awake enough to know she had to get up, but felt too comfy to leave the bed. However, if she didn't move soon the usual morning routine would shortly ensue. With a low groan from sleepiness, she rubbed her eyes prior to opening them. The last thing she expected to see was Loke fast asleep right next to her. She jolted up so fast, she found herself slipping off the mattress and onto the floor. A squeak escaped her lips before a noisy bang sounded from her impact.

The lion spirit was quickly awakened from the noise. Peering over the bed, he saw Lucy on the ground. "What are you doing down there?" he asked in a drowsy voice.

"I have a better question. What are you doing on my bed, sleeping next to me?!" the mage yelled out. The teen stood up with a rather irritated look on her face. Crossing her arms she frowned, waiting for a response. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"You know, you're very loud in the morning," Loke commented still half asleep.

"Just answer the question!" she exclaimed, clearly not amused. She watched as he sat up and put his shades on, although she didn't see the point of putting them on right this second. Being so frustrated this early couldn't be good for anyone. Letting out a small breath, she tried to calm herself down.

"We must have fallen asleep while talking last night, that's all," the spirit said. "I don't see why you're making such a big deal over it. It wasn't done intentionally. I think you're overreacting." Loke got off the bed and walked over to the blonde. "Unless you're only acting this way because you liked sleeping next to me and just don't want to admit it," he added, clearly having fun with this conversation.

Her face turned a light crimson color. So what if she slept peacefully last night after so many nights of constant waking up? His closeness had absolutely nothing to do with it. Keeping that excuse in mind, she turned to the side, not liking his carefree nature about the situation. "Have you ever considered the fact that not every girl likes it when a man is being too forward?"

"I have considered that," Loke said, not all that surprised by her sudden change in tone. He probably made her more uncomfortable than he realized. Perhaps he was being too out right with his feelings, but that's how he's always been.

He blurted out his love for her constantly, yet never in a serious manner, therefore he never expected anything back. No matter how badly he wished for his feelings to be returned. He forced a smile and rubbed the back of his head. "I guess you're right. Sorry, but I just couldn't resist saying something like that. I promise it won't happen a second time."

She chose to believe what he said, knowing he doesn't break his word at all or at least not without a true reason. In the end it wasn't really a big deal, nonetheless she felt so embarrassed by it as well as slightly vexed.

"I know, I know," Lucy replied with a small exhale. She appreciated his honesty, but at the same time knowing he's been with many girls was unsettling. Left in too much thought, the blonde was unaware that the unnerving feeling she felt deep down was being brought up through her facial expression.

"Lucy, is everything okay?" Loke asked, looking at her with curiosity. He wasn't too fond of seeing her without a smile lighting up her face, even though when she got mad at him he found it quite entertaining. Normally her anger was brought upon by something silly and her reactions withheld some humor in them. He was only slightly distressed when she didn't reply right away.

"It's nothing," she responded with a small shake of her head. Her annoyance decreased until she felt content enough to speak with him without any tension in her voice. "Anyway, I still need to talk to Erza today. I hope she didn't take a job again. We could always wait for her but you never know how long a mission could take her to finish up." She gave a small smile before moving around him to make her bed.

He still stood there, not buying her answer, but in the end he didn't want to ask her again and strain the situation any more than he already had. She was being so standoffish about the sleeping thing, which he wished he would have woken before her to possibly avoid the uncomfortable vibe.

"I'm surprised Natsu and Happy aren't stopping by right about now," he noted, looking over at the window. "Don't they come over every day?"

"More or less. I'd say the break is nice for a change," she replied after a moment. "I wonder if they aren't as much because you're here. On the other hand, I can't see that preventing them either. I don't think I would have been able to live it down if they came over before we woke up."

"That probably wouldn't have been as bad as the little tug of war incident," Loke mentioned, thinking back to it. "Moments like that are always ruined when people walk in." She was quick to turn and send a glare in his direction upon the comment. "That wasn't a very nice look. I think I might actually take that personally." He wore a subtle smirk challenging her look of displeasure.

Finally she turned away with a huff, making no comment towards what he said. She sat down on her newly made bed and kept the focus of her brown orbs on the floor, once again feeling awkward with just the two of them in the room. She doubted this feeling would ever leave.

He only tilted his head the slightest bit as he looked down at her. He pretty much knew why she was suddenly being silent and figured he should say something to start a conversation, yet nothing came to mind. Loke didn't know all that much about her, only a few things from what they've talked about or heard from others. She still had some unresolved issues with her father and he was sure that was certainly something he shouldn't bring up around her.

The orange-haired spirit knew a thing or two about Layla, some things from just common knowledge or because Cancer said something about her in the past. Aquarius wasn't too accustomed speaking about previous key owners, especially when her mind was focused on Scorpio.

The past was one thing he tried to avoid bringing up when with Lucy. He was familiar with what it was like not wanting to discuss certain topics, unless it was at the right time or with the right person.

The fact that the blonde ran away from home was acknowledged by everyone in the guild. He did, however, hold some interest in knowing what she was doing before running into Natsu. She was most likely just happy being free from the harsh and overbearing ways of the Heartfilia lifestyle. He had a few rich owners in the past to identify, at least a little bit, with how her childhood was like after her mother died from the illness she had.

Lucy ended up moving and taking a seat at the table, reading over the letter _Sorcerer Weekly_ sent her. Her eyes, although fixated on the paper, showed a spark of inner conflict. "Something troubling you?" he asked, sitting in the seat next to her.

She jumped slightly, gasping a little, not expecting his sudden voice after the room being so noiseless. "Don't do that," she remarked as he did nothing to hide his smile of her reaction. Rolling her eyes due to his small amount of laughter, she placed the letter on the table. "I want to do this photo spread and interview but I don't know if I should. With everything going on, I'm beginning to think it might not be the best idea."

He understood her dilemma. After all, he should have returned home by now, except the complex marking placed on him puzzled even Levy. Taking the open opportunity, he placed one hand over hers in a comforting manner, squeezing it lightly. She eyed him suspiciously wondering if he was up to something, however a quick look into his eyes put a stop to her negative thoughts.

"Don't let me being here stop you from doing what you want to do," Loke commented, bringing her back to the conversation. "Out of all the other girls, you were the one chosen to do this so don't give up the opportunity to show off your beauty. You're too dazzling for them in my opinion, but judging from the excitement on your face when you opened the letter, I can't just let you turn them down." He withdrew his hand from hers, missing the look of uncertainty on her face. He didn't want to risk her getting annoyed at him another time this morning.

Somewhat dazed from his sudden retraction, she nodded her head. "I guess you're right. I'll just go sign the papers, letting them know I accepted their offer," the blonde announced almost soundlessly.

Getting up, she took the letter with her to her desk to get a pen. Once her signature was placed on them, she put them back into the small envelope, noting to put in in the mailbox before they left. "I should hear from them soon," she told herself. Looking down at her hand soon afterwards, she fell silent yet again.

Confounded by her sudden quietness after such a voluble morning, he leaned back in his chair, watching as she fiddled loosely with the hand he previously held onto. Her mood appeared to change quite simply, depending on what was said or by a specific action that took place. He tried to comprehend what reason she could have to be standing there saying nothing, but shortly came up with no explanation good enough. Taking this small defeat in knowledge, he decided to say something instead of waiting for her to speak first.

"I guess we should head to the guild and see if Erza's around," Loke suggested, despite the fact that he didn't want to leave the apartment. Being alone with her was such a rarity in the past he didn't want to miss any moment where it could be just the two of them. He was about to get up, but was stopped by the sound of her voice.

"Hold on," Lucy said and he once again settled into the chair. Taking a few steps closer to him, she looked down and he stared up at her. "I've been meaning to ask you something. Yesterday, when we were at the library… was there a reason why you stopped me from talking to that guy?" There was a hint of interest in her voice as well as in her chocolate orbs. In truth, she wanted to know from him if what Levy said was actually true.

He blinked a few times, not expecting her to ask him about that. "Do you want there to be a reason?" he questioned her, rather than replying.

"You know, you could just admit that you were jealous," Lucy said, thinking she finally got something on him.

Loke decided to play it off like he normally would. "Who wouldn't be envious of any guy talking to you? Although, I don't see why it's so important of you to ask." He paused before changing the subject. "However, if you want to leave now, you should probably get changed since you're still wearing the same outfit as yesterday. I don't think you'd want to leave the house like that."

Realizing that she had indeed fallen asleep in the clothing from the other day, she sighed. "Fine, if you don't want to actually tell me then don't but I'll get it out of you sooner or later," she announced before disappearing into the bathroom. She figured it couldn't hurt to ask him about it, although he clearly didn't want to say yes or no, seeing he veered of the topic rather quickly.

She just threw on something simple and pulled her hair into low pigtails that fell onto her shoulders. Checking her refection in the mirror, she could still see some pink residing on her cheeks. Lucy could do nothing to make it go away. She pouted slightly at the sight previous to glancing down at her hand once again. Loke could really get on her nerves, but he could also be very sweet. They were both contradicting qualities that she had grown quite accustomed to. Dipping her head down lower, she could only stare at the ground. She needed to stop letting him get to her so much. Too bad blushing is an involuntary reaction.

By the time she got out, Loke had moved from the table and was currently looking through one of her many books she's collected over the years. He apparently got tired of sitting around waiting for her to finish up. As long as he wasn't reading over her unfinished novel, she didn't mind.

"I didn't know you liked these kinds of stories, Lucy," Loke stated while flipping through a few pages.

Just as he spoke, she noticed which book he was viewing. It was a romance novel Levy gave to her shortly after joining Fairy Tail. The script mage said something about Erza liking them but she never got around to finishing the whole thing. Certain scenes were written in more detail, to say the least. She couldn't imagine what he must be thinking about her after reading such a thing.

Her cheeks quickly flushed a darker shade of red than before. "Do you write things like this as well?" he questioned with a slight tease. The blonde rushed over snatching the book from him a moment after he questioned her. Holding it tightly to her chest, falling into embarrassment for what felt like the tenth time this morning.

"N-No," Lucy stuttered out and truthfully she didn't. "I might write some romance in my story but I don't that far into it… why do you care anyway?" She eyed him skeptically while securely clutching the book. Out of all the pieces of literature flooding her room, why did he have to go pick that specific book to glance through?

"I'm just curious, no need to get so bothered by it. Although, I had no idea you would have a book like that. I'll be sure to keep that in mind," he mused, walking past her, knowing she was watching his every move. Not that he minded one bit.

"I didn't buy it and besides I don't need to explain myself to you," the blonde snapped. "You shouldn't be snooping around either, remember this isn't your home." She placed the book back where it belonged and put her hands on her hips, showing her discontent. Seeing as it was a silly thing to be angry by, she decided to let it go. It was too exhausting staying mad at him anyway. "Can we just go to the guild now? Erza should be there already."

He noticed the change in her voice, but made no remark, since he preferred her to not be angry at him. Grabbing the letter and her Gate Keys, which she securely clasped to her belt, she headed for the door with the lion spirit following behind her.

She made sure to lock the door before leaving the apartment complex as well as placing the envelope in the mailbox on her way out. Fairy Tail wasn't far away, but walking through the chilly air certainly made the distance seem further.

When they strolled through the doors they were welcomed by the noisy atmosphere always held up within the building. From what Lucy could tell no fights were currently taking place, but that didn't mean one couldn't start at any moment. Not able to spot the redhead from the entrance, she proceeded inside to ask Mirajane if she was around.

"Sorry but you guys just missed her," Mira informed them with a small smile. "She's taking care of something for the Master. I'm sure she'll be back shortly though. Why don't you guys take a seat and wait for her. Could I get you anything to drink?" The two of them sat down at the bar, nodding their heads at her offer. Taking out some mugs, she filled them up with some hot chocolate that was sure to warm them right up after being out in the cold.

Bringing her nose up to the cup, the sweet smell soothed the blonde. Lucy took a small sip and felt her muscles relax as the coldness disappears. Once the mug was half full and held in the palms of her hands, she turned her head towards Loke. She was unsure what to say since Mira left to talk with her sister. "So how does it feel to be back in the guild again?" She asked rather lamely.

"Starting casual conversation doesn't suit you very well," Loke commented towards her attempt to commence a discussion. However, he flashed a charming smile in her direction and pushed up his glasses with his index finger. "Although to answer your question, everything feels normal… but also out of place at the same time, if you know what I mean." He tore his gaze from her and looked down into his cup; he hadn't nearly drank as much as Lucy, seeing as his mug was practically full. "Energy wise I feel fine. Part of me misses the Celestial World. I think every spirit feels that way after a while though. Nonetheless, I could never get tired of being around you, Lucy. Truthfully without you by my side, I don't think I could make it."

Lucy stared at him almost getting lost in his hazel eyes that were hidden behind blue lenses. Something about his voice was just too smooth. "Hold on a second," Lucy said, thinking she was catching onto him, "That's another one of your sappy pickup lines isn't it? I can't believe you almost fooled me again with one of those."

She huffed before bringing the cup up to her mouth again. He got her with those lines of his almost every time. She hated feeling like she had to keep her guard up while talking with him. She didn't want to have something she said taken the wrong way nor did she want to assume he meant something when he didn't.

"Saw right through me, huh?" he questioned with a small chuckle. He meant what he said, yet he couldn't blame her for being unconvinced. Lowering his head the slightest bit, he closed his eyes briefly before meeting her brown orbs once more. "Let's put that behind us for now. Here's to your beautiful eyes." He clanked his cup with hers causing a tiny grin to appear on her face.

Satisfied with that, he drank some more of the hot liquid before placing it on the counter. He looked around the guild, watching the many people enjoying themselves. He only stopped when he made eye contact with Gajeel. He supposed they had a somewhat mutual understand with one another, but there was still some competiveness hidden in both of them.

Lucy followed his gaze towards the iron dragon slayer. "I heard what happened the other day. You better not be thinking of getting into a fight with Gajeel," the blonde said in a warning voice.

She didn't need to get stressed over a pointless competition between two men, trying to prove who is stronger. She already had to deal with Natsu and Gray's constant bickering, she didn't want to put up with this too. The wizard would never understand why two people would want to beat each other up.

"No worries, I don't intend to get into a battle with him." the spirit said back, breaking eye contact with the previous Phantom Lord member. He rested an arm on the wooden surface, looking right at her. She hated when he did that, it was something she'd never get used to. After all, having someone stare at you was an uncomfortable feeling all on its own.

"Can you stop doing that?" Lucy remarked, trying to sound more annoyed than she really was. She took another sip of her drink, finishing it and then placing it next to his mug. She puffed out her cheeks, aware that he was still looking at her.

"I know you're not really bothered by it. Aren't you the one always bragging about your sex appeal?" He shifted in his seat a little. "But it seems like the moment someone gives you a compliment or shows any interest, you push them away."

He definitely got her on that one. "That… that doesn't matter." Lucy couldn't think of a good enough response. Honestly, the whole dating idea kind of freaked her out a bit. It got her heart beating quickly and her mind became unfocused. As much a she liked the thought of attracting guys or, to take it a step further, gaining a boyfriend, she knew it would complicate things. However, she was hopeful that whoever it was she was meant to be with, it would just happen and come naturally. But she couldn't say any of that to him.

"Mind telling me a reason why?" he asked, seeming to be generously interested. Lucy, on the other hand, couldn't get a word out if she tried.

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**Cliffhanger? Not sure if that really counts as one. Anyway, I appreciate all the reviews I get, even though every time I go to my email and see that I got one I feel like it's going to be something bad, luckily that hasn't been the case. They basically help me know if what I'm doing makes sense and what I should take into consideration for the next chapter or story in a whole. So I wanted to thank the people who take the time to do that. Chapter 10 should have some Jerza in it (one of my favorite parings in the show). I hope you're looking forward to the next update.**


	10. The Magic Council

**Chapter 10 already, time goes by so fast. Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favorites.**

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Lucy frowned slightly, trying to think of a way to respond to Loke's question. There were many reasons she tended to be standoffish when someone showed any interest in her. Despite the want for attention and pride in her own appearance, there was a lack of knowledge when it came to how to handle certain situations. Like how to act when a guy liked her. She freaked out enough when Mirajane mentioned Natsu having a thing for her and that turned out to be completely wrong. Thinking he was asking her out when he only wanted to borrow Virgo, she was never going to live that down.

"I-It's just embarrassing… and half the time I don't know what to say," the blonde admitted. "Compliments are fine but when it comes to the other thing… I don't mean to push people away, it's just a reaction." Lucy stopped her sentence there, hoping that was a good enough answer for him.

"Maybe you should listen to what someone has to say before rejecting them completely," Loke suggested. "It's not that hard hearing someone out."

"Easy for you to say. You're used to that kind of attention," she replied with a sigh. "And it's not all that simple when you get noticed by guys that flirt with anyone. Like Hibiki, Ren, and Eve. I'm pretty sure they say just about the same thing to any girl."

"They never change," he mused to himself. The spirit knew The Trimens members pretty well since Karen was in Blue Pegasus and dating Hibiki for quite some time. "For all you know, the right guy for you could be closer than you think."

She saw the way he moved a little bit closer and she lost the conviction to render a coherent response. He was obviously referring to himself without saying it directly. Giving him a chance to prove his feelings wasn't the difficult part. It was the mere fact that they were master and spirit. To make things more problematic, they were separated by two different worlds. On top of it all, she didn't know what it was she felt for him. But that shouldn't even be a question. Things had to say platonic between them.

"Hey you guys! Erza's back," Mirajane called out, startling the blonde, who was in deep thought at the moment. Lucy practically fell out of her seat as soon as the outside voice reached her ears. Loke on the other hand shifted further away from the celestial mage in a matter of seconds. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything," she said in her usual soft tone. Having the feeling she did, nervous laughter escaped her lips before an apology was given.

"You weren't," Lucy remarked with a shake of her head. "Anyway, I should probably talk to Erza alone. You don't mind do you?"

"No, go right ahead," Loke sighed heavily to himself. The last thing he wanted to do was force his feelings upon her. She had to see if for herself, but even if she did, there would be many complications when it came to maintaining a relationship. Making it a rather daunting thing to ponder at, despite how he felt about Lucy.

The hazel eyed man didn't feel the S-class wizard's look of concern towards him. He was too busy watching her walk away until she was lost amongst the crowd of people.

Erza smiled upon seeing her friend approach. "Mira told me you wanted to talk to me about something," she said, curious at what it could be. Lucy nodded her head, taking a seat at one of the tables that were more secluded from the other guild members. Lucy wore a serious expression on her face, therefore the armored mage knew whatever needed to be said was no joking matter. She too became solemn. "So, what's this about?"

"We might have found a way to get Loke back to the Celestial World," Lucy told her. She crossed her arms and leaned on the table. "There's only one problem though. Loke and I found a similar incantation spell that might be able to help us if we were able to talk to someone who knows how to perform it. Levy thinks it would help us decipher the code easier if she was able to understand the form of magic it was drawn from."

"Okay, but what does this have to do with me? If you need my help with something all you have to do is ask," the redhead said back in a humble voice. Looking up at the blonde, she could see she was a little hesitant to continue.

"Well, you see the magic we need to know more about is the kind that Jellal uses," Lucy informed her, speaking in a low tone. She didn't know how Erza was going to react hearing this. "I know he's in jail but I figured if you came with us we'd have a better chance at getting the Council to let us talk to him. But I understand if you'd rather not see him right now."

"Jellal?" his name came out in a small whisper. It was hard to know what was going through her mind at the moment; however for a second she saw the wizards eyes soften. The blue haired man had caused her so much trouble in the past and yet she still had very strong feelings towards him.

Just from seeing the way they were with one another that one time, the young Heartfilia understood why she would be having hard time figuring out what to say. The two of them were meant to be but fate always ripped them apart in the cruelest of ways.

"This information is absolutely necessary to retrieve?" Erza asked once she was able to find her voice again.

"Yes," the blonde mage reluctantly answered. "Like I said, if it's too hard for you to see him again, you don't have to come. I just thought you should know and considering how the Council members see you as a highly respectable wizard. It would probably be beneficial for you to be with us."

Lucy's eyes lowered to the table. She hated seeing Erza like this especially after knowing their difficult past. A long silence passed between them before someone spoke up.

"If it's that important, I'll go," Erza declared. "Loke is a member of Fairy Tail and it's my duty to do all I can to help him out… I just hope Jellal regained at least some of his memory. If not, it's hard to say how helpful he can be."

She tried putting up a strong front, but her heart wavered at the thought of seeing him again. What would she say when she saw him? What would he say? Simply put, it would be awkward. Although things seemed to have a way of smoothing out once a conversation started.

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked. She could tell her friend was holding her feelings back, trying her best to be stoic about the whole situation, but she knew better than to believe her passive attitude. Erza gave a nod of reassurance so for now she wouldn't question her further. "Okay, we'll be leaving soon. Just let me know when you're ready to go."

Lucy left and when back to where Loke was, hoping she did the right thing by asking Erza to come along.

* * *

Erza, Lucy, and Loke headed to the Magic Council's Fiore Branch by train. Levy decided to stay behind and try to find out some more information. Natsu wanted to come along but Erza said it would be better if he didn't. She didn't want him losing his temper if things didn't go as planned and end up getting them thrown in prison again.

The ride there was mostly silent but moments of quite conversation occurred. Within a few hours they reached their destination. Erza took the lead into the building, saying it was best for her to speak with them alone and told the two of them to wait outside the room. Lucy was about to object but Loke silenced her.

"She has talked to the Council before, so it's better that we don't go inside," the lion spirit told his key owner. She nodded her head and leaned up against the wall waiting for Erza to return. Loke soon joined her, resting his back against the hard surface as well. The morning event's still ran through his mind and the obstinate silence between them soon became unsettling.

"Have you been here before?" Lucy asked, trying to start conversation.

"Yeah, a few times actually," he replied with a nod. "After some jobs I would have to stop by since most of the ones I took involved catching criminals. Much like the ones I saved you from a while back."

"Yeah, those guys were kind of creepy," she said, regarding the past event. "To think things could have turned out differently if we didn't run into each other that night. We would never have talked and I wouldn't have known something was wrong until it was too late."

"Why were you out at that hour anyway?" Loke questioned. "Shouldn't you be more aware of the fact that some people are just waiting for a girl, such as yourself, to be walking alone in the streets."

The blonde crossed her arms. "Let's just say Erza, Natsu, and Gray take pillow fights to the extreme and I kind of got knocked out of the room. So, I decided to take a walk and wait for their apocalyptic war to be over."

"Those guys can make anything into a competition," he uttered. "The five of you certainly make an interesting team."

Lucy agreed with him and turned her attention to the door. "I wonder what's taking her so long. I hope everything's going well. Those Council Members aren't very flexible when it comes to the rules, but I'm sure that Erza could convince them to give us some time to talk with Jellal." Loke knew the Spirit King was the same way, in either place laws were enforced and punishment for breaking them could be severe.

"Who is this Jellal guy anyway and how does Erza know him? Considering the fact that he's in jail, are you sure that we should be asking him for help?" Loke inquired, taking things into consideration.

Lucy was aware that he was already her spirit by the time Erza was brought to the Tower of Heaven, but he had no idea what happened there or what went on during the whole Nirvana thing. She should have explained things earlier to him.

"I'll tell you everything I can later. Now just isn't a good time to talk about it," the blonde replied. Of course she would leave out any details Erza wouldn't want her to say. Thinking about past events, she was reminded of something. "There's actually something I've been meaning to ask you about."

"And what would that be," Loke asked, looking down at her.

"Why were you on a date when I needed your help in Edolas?" she asked dejectedly. "You said you'd be there anytime I summoned you but I guess going out with another girl took priority over me?" Lucy lowered her arms from their crossed position, apparently more bothered over the whole thing than she led him to believe.

He wasn't going to tell her the actual reason he went on that date. He needed to get Lucy off his mind and thought another girl could distract him, but he should have known from past experience that it never works. "I sent Virgo in my place, so it's not like I completely abandoned you. If you and I went out then perhaps I wouldn't feel the need to date someone else."

Lucy gave him a doubtful look. "No offense, but you're not exactly a one girl type of guy." She turned towards him a little more, wondering what kind of response he would make. She didn't mean anything by it, yet what she said was kind of true.

"Depends on the girl," he countered with a small smile.

"Have you ever even been in a serious relationship before?" Lucy turned her focus towards the ground, feeling a slight flutter in her chest at the notion, making it hard time maintaining eye contact after a comment like that.

"The thing is I can't say I have. After leaving Blue Pegasus, I always dated more than one person at a time. Even before the whole ordeal with Karen, I just never found much of a reason to. No relationship I've ever been in was meant to last forever. Although, you should know you mean more to me than any of those girls." She saved his life after all and gave him a reason to keep living. How could he not have fallen in love with such a beautiful and compassionate woman such as her?

Before Lucy could make a response the doors opened revealing Erza and a small purple frog-like creature besides her. He had an unpleasant look on his face the moment he stepped out into the hallway. He carried a small wooden staff that was coiled at the top and had the symbol of the Rune Knights on it.

"This is Nadal," Erza announced. "He's one of the guards in charge of watching over Jellal. He'll be accompanying us while we speak with him."

Lucy suddenly moved away from Loke when she noticed Erza looking at them. Gazing down at the frog-like being, she tried her best to act friendly towards him, despite his sour look. "Thanks for letting us talk to Jellal-"

"I was the one who opposed to this from the start," he said interrupting the blonde. "I heard about how you tried to stop his arrest. If anyone attempts anything funny the Council will have you thrown in jail," he added, pointing his staff at her as it glowed a deep purple. No one knew what it was capable of but they didn't want to find out either.

Lucy found herself backing up into Loke's chest as the weapon was fairly close to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and she could feel his fingers tighten. The spirit glared down at the frog for threatening the Celestial Wizard. "You shouldn't swing your weapon around so lightly," he mentioned. "In the end I don't care who you are or how important you stature is. If you harm Lucy, I can't be held accountable for my actions. So, if I were you I would lower the staff." His voice came out more intimidating than either of the girls though it would have. The blonde knew he was protective over her, but standing up to a member of the Council was just crazy.

The frog ignored the warning and took lead heading down a number of hallways and down a few flights of stairs with the others close behind. Lucy could tell Erza was a bit tense just from the way she was walking. Seeing Jellal after all this time wasn't going to be easy for her. Lucy felt a little bit bad for forcing a reunion upon them, but she also believed they needed to have one.

They passed by many cells until they came upon the one Jellal was in. He was moved from the other prisoners quickly for this specific meeting. Instead of bars like a normal holding facility used, there was a cerulean magical barrier most likely there to block any magic from aiding in an escape.

The blue haired man looked up the moment he heard impending footsteps. The first one he set eyes on was the redhead herself. "Erza," he muttered out with the slightest bit of shock. Surly he wasn't expecting a visit from her anytime soon. Looking at one another, they both remained silent.

Loke had never seen Erza this way before. Her stance was more together than normal and under speculation; he'd say she even looked a tad nervous.

"I'm only giving you twenty minutes so make it quick," Nadal remarked, standing off to the side.

"Erza, what are you doing here?" Jellal asked. His eyes stayed focused on the woman clad in armor, hardly believing she was a mere foot away. He stood up to be more at her level. However, she suddenly turned away from him. Knowing they had a time limit, she couldn't just talk to him like she wanted to.

"I came because one of my friends needs your help," Erza replied, getting back to her more businesslike voice. He nodded for her to continue regardless of the fact that many questions raced through his head. She motioned for the spirit to come over. "I don't have time to explain everything, but Loke has spell placed over him and because of it he can't return to the Celestial World. His magic is being blocked and we need to find a way to remove it as soon as possible. The markings are similar to some of the spells you use. Could you take a look at it and see if you could tell us anything about it, preferably a way to get rid of it?"

"I'll see what I can do," Jellal replied, tearing his gaze from childhood friend. Loke gave his jacket to Lucy and showed the markings to the wizard. He looked at it the best he could through the blue colored wall separating them.

After a minute of studying the mark, he turned back to Erza. "I have only seen this specific kind of magic one time before. But the details are sketchy at best."

"Since Loke isn't human, we're pretty sure it has a different effect on him," Lucy said, speaking for the first time. "It was meant for me and we don't know much about it so if you can tell us anything, I'm sure it will be useful." The smallest amount of guilt was still evident in her voice which bothered Loke more than it should have. She watched as Jellal brought his hand up in thought. The only sound heard was that of a foot tapping from Nadal.

"With something like the self-destruction spell the only one who could deactivate it was the one who knew the cancellation code. I'm going to say that only the person who put it on can break it." Jellal informed them.

"So you're saying that we can't do anything to get rid of it then?" Lucy asked.

"I'm not saying it's impossible for someone else to do it, it just won't be easy. If I was allowed to use magic, I'd probably be able to figure it out and remove it a lot quicker than someone who doesn't use the same type." He looked down for a moment before glimpsing over at the blonde. "The thing about this spell is, it's doing more than just preventing him from returning back to his world."

"What other effect could it possibly have?" She grew worried at the tone of his voice.

"Besides blocking his magical energy, it's slowly draining it and we all know what happens to Celestial Spirit's when their magic is gone," Jellal told her. Lucy grew tense at his words, almost wanting to say he was lying.

"They disappear," Loke said in a somber voice. His posture was still, but his mind was attempting to contemplate Jellal's words.

"How much time do we have?" Erza questioned, urgently. "It's already been a few days."

Jellal thought about it for a moment. "I can't say for sure. It all depends on how much magic he has left and how quickly it's leaving his body."

"I lived in this world for three years before starting to fade away," Loke mentioned. "I'm sure it won't be that difficult to be here for a few weeks even. If needed, I could always rely on Lucy's magic." He didn't like the thought of using any of the blonde's energy though. Despite the different circumstances, that was the exact reason why Karen was killed. Even if Lucy was stronger and could call out more than one spirit at a time, the idea was formidable.

"Even so, I don't want to see you going through that again," Lucy said dismally, turning towards Loke. Her hangs were together, almost as if she was trying to keep herself calm.

"It will be fine." Loke smiled in assurance, nonetheless the new found information was hard to handle.

Erza faced the blue-haired man again. "We already have two people who can use Letter Magic, but they can't do much of anything without knowing what to look for."

"It's not difficult. Tell them to do more research on Darkness Magic. If they learn more about it, then it shouldn't be hard for them to either rewrite the inscription or cancel it all together. But it's not going to be a simple thing to do." he told them, aware that time would be running out soon. "Other than what I've said, I can't be of any more help."

"That's alright. You did more than enough," Erza told him with a small and somewhat sad smile. "At least now we have a decent starting place. I'm sure that Levy and Freed can figure out the rest."

"You have ten minutes left," Nadal told them as he was still in an angry mood. He had been watching them closely to make sure they weren't planning on helping him escape or anything.

Lucy looked back and forth between Erza and Jellal. She wanted to ask more questions, but knowing they both had unresolved issues, she decided they should have the chance to talk with one another even if it was just for a few minutes. "We're going to give you guys some time to say goodbye," the young Heartfilia stated, taking hold of Loke's hand, pulling him with her. "Thanks for all the help."

"Lucy, wait," Erza called out, but by that time they were already gone. She looked up at Jellal and his eyes fell upon her at the same moment. Alone for the first time in a while, she was at a loss of what to say first. There was simply too much going through her mind to know how to properly start a discussion. However, she wasn't about to waste the opportunity.

* * *

**At least they're actually talking about relationships. I would say that counts as progress. Technically, it's only been a few days that Loke's been staying with Lucy and I don't want to rush things between them. So, I'm trying to develop it slowly, as you guys can probably tell. Since I left the chapter off this way, there's obviously going to be more Jerza in the next one. I hope I'm keeping them in character. Don't forget to review. **


	11. Relations

**I didn't get many reviews for the last chapter but I got a few more followers. I had a tough time writing Jerza only because I was trying to keep true to their relationship and personalities when with each other. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

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Lucy figured they walked a good distance away from where Jellal and Erza were. She wished Nadal would have left as well to give the two of them some time to properly talk alone, but that wasn't going to happen. After all this time the red-haired mage deserved a chance to get some of her feelings out and even if she said nothing at all about them, she certainly needed to see him again. Their last departure was rather abrupt.

At least the trip was worth it. They got some information on the magic keeping Loke on Earthland but with the newfound knowledge came some troubling news.

If he somehow ran out of magic then Loke would have to rely on hers. She had no problem with that, however her magic wouldn't be able to sustain him very long and then he would start fading away again. Lucy was determined not to let that happen a second time.

Logically, the lion spirit could easily manage about three years on Earth Land, yet with his power being blocked and drained that time would be decreasing even faster. Regarding his position as Head of the Zodiac, he could do things other spirits couldn't. So, even with little magic at his disposal, he should be capable of staying here for an extended amount of time with no problems.

Lucy was trying to figure it out in her head but was failing miserably. She had to trust that Loke would let her know if it ever got to the point where he needed to depend on her despite how much she knew it bother him.

"Lucy, if you wanted to be alone with me all you had to do was say so," Loke commended with a minor smile on his lips. He knew that wasn't the reason for leaving the way they had, but he couldn't resist toying with her. He watched her face turn red soon after he spoke. No matter what he could always expect the same reaction from her.

"That's not why we left…" Lucy said with an airy sigh. "I just wanted to give them some time to talk to each other." Traces of despondence followed her voice and materialized in the way she held herself. Arms crossed and eyes focused towards the ground.

He already knew what was causing her so much unease, but he wasn't sure if he should question her about it. Then again, what could be the harm? "You know, if you're worried about me disappearing, don't be. I trust that we'll be able to figure things out. Besides, I would never leave you. I promised to be by your side and protect you. Bonds of love makes spirits stronger, remember?"

She could call him out on the fact that they were not 'in love' with each other, but there was a form of it somewhere between them. Whether it was the kind of care that stems from friendship or the type of slowly forms into something more, to which she was still unsure about, it was there nonetheless.

"How could I forget?" she asked in a hushed tone. "Like I said before, I don't want to put you through that again. I saw what happens and this time I'm pretty sure yelling at the Spirit King wouldn't work. It's not like he's the one preventing you from going home." It was all her fault this time and the guilt of that was enough to make her heart ache. If only he hadn't come between her and that attack.

She wasn't acting like her normal happy self and that bothered him immensely. The spirit didn't know how many times he would have to tell her she wasn't the one to blame. Loke pressed his lips together for a moment. "I don't know if I ever told you this but back then, I wasn't afraid to disappear. I didn't have any attachments to people, although I cared about others I made sure to keep my distance. I wanted to vanish from this world so I could atone from my sin of killing Karen. But out of nowhere, I had a moment of weakness and reached out to you."

Lucy looked up at him at this point, yet she didn't interrupt him. In a way it was rare to hear him talk about this particular topic.

"As soon as I realized what I was doing, I pushed you away again. I couldn't get you involved, yet I wanted to tell you everything. It was strange at first until I realized the reason why. My feelings for you put a waver in my resolve and I couldn't let that happen. However, I still had to make things better between us. As you know, I still went to Karen's grave, ready to leave everything behind. But then your voice caught me. Despite my protest, you never gave up on saving me. You yelled and screamed until you got your way." Loke chuckled slightly at the memory before continuing.

"You were able to do change the Spirit Kings mind, which isn't easy, and because of that I was able to return to the Celestial World. Now I have a reason to keep me going and that reason is you. That's why I'm not going to give up on Levy or Freed and you shouldn't either. As long as you're here, I'm staying." For her sake, Loke would use his magic for as long as possible.

It took a moment for Lucy to render a response. It was hard to know what to say after hearing something like that, he never ceases to amaze her. "You seem so calm about all of this but I guess that's to be expected. Honestly, it's a scary thing to consider…" Lost of the right words to say, she trailed off.

The blonde picked up of the fact that Loke can say he has feelings for her effortlessly. The term love escaped his lips like it was part of everyday conversation while she couldn't even verbalize it without a stutter.

This time Loke couldn't think of something to say back. It was daunting in every aspect, but he couldn't let it get to him. It mattered more that Lucy was okay with everything, nevertheless he knew she'd never come anywhere near accepting that kind of fate. Perhaps that was a good thing though. It would keep their focus on figuring things out, even though all he wanted to center all his attention on was the young Heartfilia.

Aware that the discussion was causing her to become somewhat troubled, he decided to change it. "Is now a good time to tell me more about this Jellal guy? He seems to be a rather important person to Erza. If I didn't know better, I'd say she has feelings for him." He could tell just by the way they looked at each other they both did.

"Their relationship is complicated," she remarked. The mage turned her attention from him and leaned back against the wall. "On the other hand, I don't know everything about Jellal besides what Erza told me." Lucy suspected that not everything about the blue-haired wizard was spoken of though.

"Does she love him?" Loke asked after some thought. However, it wasn't something that needed to be pondered. The answer was quite simple.

"N-No, of course not," Lucy waved her hands ineffectually before she finally settled on placing them on her hips. He eyed her suspiciously after that kind reaction and she sighed. "I promised Erza I wouldn't talk about that. All I can say is she definitely cares about him. They met when they were children. Both forced to work on building the Tower of Heaven. They became friends easily. Something changed him around the time they fought back; attempting to escape and it lead to him taking over the construction. Jellal wanted to use Erza as a sacrifice to finish the R-system."

"That's why she was kidnapped?" Loke asked, receiving a nod.

"I believe he was trying to revive Zeref. I wasn't there the whole time, but Natsu defeated him and saved Erza. For the longest time we didn't know what happened to Jellal until he showed up during the Oracion Seis thing. He helped us defeat Nirvana but the Council still put him in jail for his previous crimes," Lucy further explained.

The spirit said nothing more on the subject, now understanding things a bit more. He took notice to Lucy's calm expression; she was no longer showing the look of distress, regardless he knew better than to judge outward appearances. Still, he thought it best to let her sift through her own thoughts. Once things settled down again and they were back in Magnolia Town, perhaps then she'd be more at ease about everything. Fairy Tail always gave off a comforting sensation, as they were all seen as family there.

Although Lucy wouldn't admit it, seeing that she could be quite obstinate at times, the blonde was thankful for Loke's company. She couldn't help but admire him for his ability to make things seem a whole lot better than they were.

* * *

Erza stood still, taking a second to get used to them being alone, regardless of Nadal of course. To see Jellal and even to be next to him again was something she didn't think would ever happen. Getting any words to come out seemed impossible at the moment.

Noticing her hesitation, Jellal decided to say something first. "It's been a while since we spoke; just the two of us I mean… how are you?"

"I've been good," she replied quite awkwardly. The red-haired woman considered asking him the same thing but after getting a better look at him, she could tell he wasn't faring all that well. She already knew that Nadal wasn't the kindest of guards. Seeing as he already threatened to use his staff on her and the others, she was sure he was hurting Jellal with it when he didn't comply. There was also the fact that he looked like he hadn't eaten in a long time. "I can pretty much guess that you don't get many visitors, especially for the reason you're here in the first place."

"You're the first actually." He paused before speaking again, debating whether or not to mention something. "You're probably wondering how much I can remember, right? I can recall some of the things that took place at the Tower of Heaven," he admitted with a small sigh. "What happened to the others? Wally, Sho, and Milliana?"

He couldn't bring up Simon, not after knowing how he felt about Erza and how Jellal was the reason her friend was dead. That blame was a burden he had to keep. It was a constant reminder of what was done in the past.

"They went traveling the world. Maybe they'll join a guild someday." A small smile came to her lips. She missed them terribly. "I'm guessing it's only bits and pieces of the past you can recollect, right?" He nodded his head but didn't give an actual reply. "I honestly don't know what to say… It seems like these are the only types of conversations we can have."

"When there's not enough time and too much to talk about," Jellal said, agreeing with her. He looked back at his childhood friend. Her smile was fading from her lips as he spoke. "After I was revived your name was the only thing I could remember. It took me a while to figure out why that was. I suppose the people who matter the most to you are the ones that can never truly forget."

As uncharacteristic as it was, Erza bit back on her lip prior to turning her head away. Without actually saying the words, he admitted how much he cares for her. She knew the level of her own feelings, but his were, in a way, always unspoken or hidden.

Truthfully, she wanted to believe she knew his feelings just as much he was aware of how she felt. Saying the definite word would be too difficult though. There were just too many things keeping them apart. But through it all, she never had it on her to hate him. Not even when he wanted to make her a sacrificial piece in his plan. Her heart just wouldn't allow that kind of emotion to take over.

Another instance of quietness circled them only for Jellal to break it with another enduring thought. "Do you remember what you told me after Nirvana was defeated? That time right before the Council came to take me away." She looked a little surprised at the question but bowed her head. "I hope after all this time those words you spoke that day are still true."

"They are," she replied with a faint blush coming to her cheeks. That simple line was enough to embarrass her a little bit. _You will always and forever be in my heart_. Without much thought she took a step closer to the wall separating them. They wished there wasn't a barrier splitting them from one another and yet nothing could be done about it.

She also promised him she'd always be there for him however that was something she could only partially keep. Erza knew that simple visits weren't allowed, particularly with high ranked criminals such as Jellal was considered. An exception was made this time, but they both knew there wouldn't be another.

"Jellal, there's something that I want to tell you," she confessed after taking a deep breath. This could be her last chance to let him know how she truly felt about him and despite the nervousness racking her body she wanted to say it. The armored wizard stopped and he looked at her questionably.

Bringing her head down a little, she placed her hand on the smooth blue surface of the wall and a moment later he did the same. A thin barrier blocked their hands from touching. Even something as simple as mere skin contact was prevented.

Her head may have been down, but Jellal knew what she was trying to avoid. He frowned faintly upon this. She would never allow tears to be seen in front of him, it would be too painful for her to permit. The blue-haired man said nothing back as he waited for her to continue. He knew she would try to finish eventually. She just needed time to recollect herself.

Erza looked up once again, meeting his eyes. "After all this time and after everything we've been through, you would think this would get easier." She laughed a little to herself and he lightly smirked at the notion. Her cheeks flushed again. "Jellal, I…"

Again her voice drifted, she couldn't bring herself to do it after all. People called her the great Titania, if only they could see her now. Having faced so many life threatening situations and obstacles, Erza could hardly comprehend the fact that her voice was caught in her throat.

"You don't have to say it if you can't," Jellal said. "I'm going to be in here for a while and if the Council had their way, I won't ever get to see the light of day again… Things are complicated. My dark past is never going to stop following me but you, you're in the light, always have been." Much to his own dismay, he drew his hand away and let it hang at his side.

She narrowed her gaze at him, watching how he couldn't bring himself to face her. "Why do you have to compare us to something so contrast as light and darkness? Besides, you're not-"

"I am and even though you don't want to believe it, it's true. Some of the things I've done can never be atoned for and maybe I don't deserve your forgiveness, much less anything else." He was being vague, but he knew that she would figure out what he meant.

"You're pushing me away and you're doing it intentionally," Erza stated. Part of her predicted the fact that he would. The reason was simple, it was so when she left it wouldn't hurt as much, but that was inevitable no matter what was said.

He quickly shook his head. "No, I'm telling you the truth…"

"You're a bad liar, you know that? That's something about you that never changed," she replied with a subtle breath. "You may have done unjustifiable things but I know you better than you think. Sitting in jail and feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to make things better. You killed Simon, I know you remember that because you couldn't look me in the eyes when you mentioned our friends. Despite what you think, he wouldn't want you dwelling on it."

There was a short pause of silence before Erza started talking again. "I didn't come here so we could make things worse or weird between us. I came to help a friend, on the other hand I also wanted to see you."

She had no idea how much he wished to see her as well. "Sorry, I shouldn't have brought that kind of thing up. You are right though. Simon, he was always kindhearted." He walked back up to the wall and caught her eye. "I assume that we don't have much time left so about what you were trying to say before... I know and I do too."

Erza stared at him for a second, feeling a minor ache in her chest. Still, a small smile was shared between them. Because of their relationship, that four letter word didn't need to be said for either of them to know. Not now but perhaps at some point it can be spoken freely without remorse of departure.

"Alright, times up," Nadal said, protesting any further discussion. "You and your friends have to leave now."

Swallowing hard, Erza nodded her head. She took another glance at him before forcing her feet to move.

"Maybe one day, we'll get to see each other again," Jellal said just as she faced him. He tried to sound hopeful yet lacked the conviction. Now just wasn't the right time for something to happen between them.

Erza promised herself that this wouldn't be the last time they met face to face. She drew her hand up and positioned it over her heart. "I hope that 'one day' will be soon. Goodbye, Jellal." He muttered his farewell to her as she walked away. Although it hurt to leave him again, she knew it was for the best. This time she wouldn't cry, instead she would wait for the day their paths crossed.

Jellal watched Erza disappear down the hall until she was completely gone from view. She walks in the light while he can't stray from the path of darkness predetermined for him. It was for that very reason they couldn't be together regardless of the love they obviously shared for one another.

* * *

The three of them were escorted out of the building and were on their way back to Magnolia Town. On the train ride back, Lucy managed to talk to Erza alone for a little while. She wasn't being very open with what they spoke about but the wizard reassured her that everything was fine. The blonde still offered to speak to her about it more at some other time, it took a while but eventually it was agreed upon.

When they got back and started walking down one of the main roads, it was nearly sunset. Lucy inwardly sighed, another day went by and despite the little bit of progress made, they weren't getting anywhere fast. "Now that we know all of this, we should probably inform Levy. Do you think she'd be at the guild at this hour?"

"Probably not. If anything, she went back to Fairy Hills. I'll take care of telling her what we found out. Since our rooms are relatively close, it's no problem," Erza said. "Tomorrow morning we can go over more of the details together. Besides, it's been a long day. I'm pretty tired out from all the travelling."

Lucy took notice to the way she spoke and acted. Erza looked as if something was constantly swarming around in her head, in fact most of the trip back she was glancing out the window with a rather pensive look on her face.

After they separated, the blonde realized that Loke hadn't said much. However, now that they were alone, he didn't waste any time saying something to her.

"Seeing as it's so late, why don't we stop and get something to eat? It doesn't have to be anywhere expensive." He wasn't specifically asking her out knowing she'd refuse the offer, but if he did it in a roundabout way perhaps she wouldn't notice. "You have to be hungry by now. I know I am. So what do you say?"

"You're just trying to trick me to go out with you by making it a suggestion," she said knowingly. "I think it would be better if we waited until we get back to my apartment. There's plenty of food there… unless Natsu and Happy ate it all again." She knew what he was attempting to do and despite the fact that she was starving, she felt that it wouldn't be right to do something like that.

Too bad her stomach had different plans. It made a loud growl after she finished voicing her option. Immediately embarrassed by the sound, she turned her head away from the spirit, missing the way he raised a brow in question.

"You really can't argue about not being hungry now," Loke said back. Taking advantage of her silence he continued speaking. "Going back to your place to make something will take too long and besides, I know someplace we can go that's not too far from here. If it makes you feel better, we don't have to consider it a date at all, although that would be disappointing on my end. I've been trying to ask you out for so long now."

In spite of her own feelings on the matter, she was caving into her hunger. "Okay, we can go somewhere to eat as long as it's not extremely fancy." With a smile, he started leading the way. Lucy questioned if this was really should be doing this right now. It wasn't technically a date so there was nothing to worry about. However, she couldn't hide the fact that she was nervous. But it was just dinner, what could go wrong?

* * *

**I'm not sure if Jellal will be in my story anymore but he'll probably be mentioned again at some point. Since he's in jail it's kind of hard to do a lot with him. Next chapter will be back to focusing on Loke and Lucy more. Review and let me know what you think. **


	12. Contradictions

**I had an interesting time trying to figure out what to make happen in this chapter. I always have a basic idea but going about it the right way is always challenging. I'm just happy I finished it in time to put it up today. **

* * *

After a few minutes they came upon a small restaurant. Lucy was glad to see it wasn't at all elaborate, just like he said; it looked pretty empty at the moment as well. Loke opened the door, letting her through first. They were quickly seated at a small table and given their menus before their waiter would arrive. The blonde skimmed the area around her. It wasn't much different from the place she and Natsu went to when they first met each other. The food, however, seemed to be of better quality.

For some reason she couldn't stop herself from feeling nervous. They were just two friends eating dinner together, it was completely normal. In fact, they already ate at her apartment several times.

The blonde peeked over the small booklet to see Loke looking though his. This certainly felt like a date even if it wasn't intended to be one. Moving her eyes back down, she decided not to dwell on it, after all she was too famished to care. The prices of a few dishes caught her off guard, they weren't extremely expensive but she wouldn't spend that much on a meal.

"How exactly are we going to pay for this?" Lucy asked, leaning over. She didn't want other people to hear what she was saying so she tried keeping her voice down. "I don't have any money on me and the last time I checked, you were broke."

"Don't worry about it," he replied with a short wave of his hand. "The owner owes me a few favors for saving him a while back. He told me to stop by anytime I want a free meal. So, paying really isn't an issue, even if I bring a beautiful woman with me. You can order anything you like no matter the price."

Lucy slid down her seat a little. Was this the way he was with every girl he took out? She could easily see why he was so popular with all the women around town. He was being generous and gentlemanlike. Although, she supposed, he was always like that no matter whom he was with.

Her mind drifted to his many other dates, she was sure he couldn't even keep track of them all. Did that mean she was getting treated the same as those other girls? Her sudden frown was hidden by the menu. She nearly shook her head at the thought. They weren't going out, therefore there was no need to compare and yet she found herself bothered by the thought. It was just silly though.

Lucy straightened up when she saw the waiter coming over. Once their orders were taken and the menus gone, Lucy no longer had anything to hide behind. It was just the two of them sitting across from one another with a few people spread around them, holding light conversations. She looked down at her hands which were folded over the table. The slight awkwardness was very apparent, but she couldn't bring herself to break it.

Whenever she, Natsu, and Happy went someplace to eat sometimes during a job, it just felt normal. Natsu would stuff his face with food for the majority of the time but when they were finished, they just had a typical conversation. There were no silences either. Technically, the dragon slayer wasn't one for quiet atmospheres so he would always be loud.

On the other hand, Natsu wasn't the one trying to ask her out like Loke has been for what felt like forever.

"I'm sure you're going to like the food here. I've been here quite a few times myself," Loke commented. He leaned back in the chair as she smiled lightly. Despite the reason they came, she still looked on edge. He sighed a little at this. He was hoping she'd be more relaxed. "So Lucy, is there anything you want to talk about while we wait?"

Unexpectedly, the conversational topic was thrown at her and she didn't know what to say. She was sure there were a few things she wanted to ask him, but never got the chance since he would go back to the Celestial Spirit World shortly after being summoned. "There's something I have been curious about. Celestial spirits are immortal, which must mean you've been around for a very long time but you must age and grow at some point, right?"

"Most people are fascinated about that," he remarked with a small shake of his head. "We grow until a certain age range, but honestly I can't remember that far back. After some time our appearance won't change but we will develop in different ways like mentally. It's kind of hard to explain if you're not a spirit, even though it's a frequently asked question. Why are you so suddenly interested in that, my love?"

"It was just something I've been thinking about," Lucy told him offhandedly, ignoring the way he addressed her again. "What's it like living that long? You must have had many different masters and got to see how the world changed. That's got to be cool."

Loke was happy to see she was beginning to settle into being here. The few inquiries didn't bother him, in fact he liked that she was wanted to know more about him and the Spirit World. Not many celestial wizards even take the time to ask, much less care to know more.

He assumed from the outside the whole idea of living forever was something many people dreamed of. Immortality was always trying to be reached by mages but really it wasn't all that great in his opinion.

You end up losing friends and masters as they grow old and die. It's painful to see this kind of thing happen over and over again, like an endless loop. Nevertheless being what he was, it was just normal. The only difference was when it came to Lucy. She was the one person he didn't want to live without and to make matters worse, he couldn't do anything to prevent her from dying. It was inevitable that young Heartfilia would pass at some point in her life.

The lion spirit pushed all those morbid thoughts aside for the time being. "You could say that, although for one who has lived a long time, it's just something you get used to," the hazel-eyed man told her. "I suppose it's more of a thing spirits take for granted. On the contrary, now that you're my key owner, I cherish every moment I spend with you. For instance, these past few days are something I will never forget."

Before Lucy could extract a responds, their food arrived. That stopped her from having to say something back, but him being here was one thing she was going to always remember. They never spent this much time together before, it was rather nice to have the chance, overlooking the actually reason he was here in the first place.

After eating some of her food, her mind wandered back to what he just said. The truth was she didn't know him or any of her spirits for that matter. Not as well as she would like to. The mage was always saying how they were friends, but perhaps she should take the time get to know them better. Where to start was the problem.

Loke noticed how she was only picking at her plate now. He was just about to ask her if everything was okay, but then she looked up at him, meeting his eyes and he lost his train of thought.

"You know, I spent a whole year traveling around before meeting Natsu and joining Fairy Tail. I was looking for Gate Keys, trying to become a stronger wizard so I could join the guild. I still felt the same way about the spirit's I had contracts with but not to the same degree that I do now," Lucy said after some thought.

"What do you mean by that?" Loke asked, leaning his head to the side.

"I mean, that if someone was to offer to just give me their keys, I would have just taken them back then. But now, I wouldn't be able to bring myself to break the bonds a wizard and spirit share. I feel like I should have felt that way before too. I always admired my mother because she treated all of her spirits with kindness. At one point, I even looked up to Karen, but that was before I knew what she was really like. Magazines only had nice things to say about her." Her voice sounded somber as she spoke. She was unaware if she should have brought up the green-haired woman at all.

He didn't expect her to mention his previous master at a time like this, but it didn't bother him. "No one ever wrote about the way she treated us, but everyone at the guild knew what she was really like. Learning the truth must have been hard."

"Yeah, but I was more concerned about you at the time," she admitted, glancing down.

"By the way, you shouldn't feel bad about not thinking the same way when it came to collecting keys," Loke told her. "Some people will kill others to get what they want. You always cared and that belief grew. There's nothing wrong with that. People are supposed to change over time."

She bit down on her lip, nodding her head. "Did Karen ever care?"

"I was only her spirit for so long. It's kind of hard for me to say. I think, as she became more famous, her cruelty was brought out more and more until it got to the point where I had to stop it." Loke leaned forward for a moment. He tried studying her actions; it looked as though she was struggling to avoid eye contact now.

After taking a sip of her drink, she swirled around the liquid in her cup, tilting her hand back and forth. "I know talking about her isn't easy considering everything that happened. We can change the topic if you want to." She tended to bring the woman up in conversation a lot only because that's the only part of his life she really knew about.

"No, it's alright," Loke replied in a calm tone that instantly made her stop fretting. "Normally I don't talk about Karen with anyone. When it comes to speaking to you about her, I'm okay with it because you know my past." In the end, he trusted her more than anyone else. "With you, I'm an open book."

She swallowed hard after his comment and the way he smiled at her. Everything was going fine. They were having a discussion like they normally would and she was happy they were at that point where they could converse freely with one another. Sometimes it wasn't that simple though. There has been this one thing she has pondering at constantly, especially after the whole Jellal and Erza thing. It's just wasn't a topic she would normally bring up.

Placing her glass back on the table, she breathed out tiredly after the long day they had. Lucy went back to eating for a little while and so did he. Conversation did occur in between but mostly it was quiet. By the time they were just about finished, she couldn't hold the question in anymore. It was bugging her too much.

"There's something that I've been confused about for a while now," the blonde suddenly blurted out before she could take the time to reconsider. "You call me beautiful and pretty all the time, not that I mind compliments every now and again, and you're always talking about love. I ask myself this one thing all the time, but I can't answer it. Only you can."

Loke eyed her skeptically, trying to figure out where she was going with this. "And what would that be?"

"Why is it so easy for you to say all those things? To say… you love me?" Her voice came out quiet and by the end she went back to feeling uneasy all over again, creating an unsettling mood for herself.

Taken back a little, he blinked at her a few times. "Why? I thought it was obvious," he stated. Loke was a bit weary when it came to answering her completely. She had never questioned him before and he felt she wouldn't truly believe his reasoning, mainly because they were hard to explain. Small qualities could be given as an incentive but there was no way to verbalize how he felt on the inside.

"I guess I just don't understand," Lucy said back with a small pout. "Liking more than a friend, a crush, those things are plausible but love is on a whole different level. Don't get me wrong, I'm not doubting your feelings, I just want to know."

A blush came to her face as she mentioned the different terms of affection. The blonde was so disoriented with her own feelings, she just had to find out why he was so interested in her and so insistent to prove it.

"I get how you could be uncertain." Loke placed his hands together, wearing a more serious expression than before. "You probably consider that something as complex as love should take time to develop and you're right." He breathed out heavily. "I've been alive longer than you can imagine and I still can't find the right words to explain how something so complicated could be felt so quickly."

Loke looked at Lucy from across the table just as she rested her arms, causing her blonde hair to fall across her shoulders. He could do nothing more than relive every moment of their chance encounter. Even the day she saved his life was clear as day in memory. Every word spoken, every touch shared, every broken sigh that fell from her lips.

"I would do anything for you," he told her. "And you know it yet you never once took advantage of that fact. You don't summon me all that often, not that you mean anything by it, but I still stand by my promise. I come out on my own if need be. I've said how I feel about you constantly but I can tell you want to ask me if I really mean it. I sort of expected that you would."

He could talk about love, say things about how they supposedly felt it for one another, write it out in a fancy light show, but he couldn't get out the words 'I love you' right now because he knew. He knew at some point she will die and he would have to continue his eternal life without her. The thought was always in the back of his mind continuously nagging at him.

If he wasn't a celestial spirit things would be so much easier. No time difference, no having to leave her due to the fact that he didn't belong in this world, there would be no potential problems other than the things normal couples went through. He would be able to have a life and grow old with Lucy. Have a family, if that's what she wanted. However, he didn't know the extent of her feelings for him. Even if his affections weren't returned, as a human, he could at least be by her side all the time.

Therefore, he did everything he could to show what he could not say.

"I…" She paused and stopped herself from going any further. Lucy closed her eyes for a moment. She didn't demand an answer because she was afraid of what it might be. Scared that it would complicate things and cloud her judgment. When it came to matters of the heart, the mage was guarded, perhaps a little too much.

"You appreciate everything I've done for you. I know that but you don't seem to get just how devoted I am. You already know that no matter what my feelings aren't going to change." Regardless, he wasn't quite sure he knew where they stood. Loke found it impossible to figure her out. Lucy would, at times, push him away and at others accept his small gestures of affection.

"How can you be so sure that your feelings are always going to stay the same?" she asked with a little bit of hesitance. She was beginning to undergo the weight of this conversation already. Lucy wasn't sure what to consider their relationship to be half the time. They were friends, she aware of that much but where was the line drawn between that and being more than friends? "You don't know how I feel."

Just as Lucy said those words, their waiter came to clear the table. He really had the worst timing. The small amount of tension was quickly noticed. Hadn't it only been about a few minutes ago that things were normal between them?

As Loke spoke to the waiter, Lucy slumped down after he left. What was she doing? Creating more of a problem, that's what. In truth there was no way of knowing if he was in love with her until he actually said that three word sentence meaningfully, in a way there couldn't possibly be any doubt. He cared about her a great deal, she was mindful of that and being so emotionally mixed up right now maybe that's all she wanted to believe it was.

The celestial wizard wished she could take back the question but there was no way of getting away from it now. The only option was to deal with the things said, that or ignore them, which wasn't right so she couldn't.

By the time he was finished, they decided it best to leave. The walk back to her apartment was dauntingly silent. It left her with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. The mage had no idea what Loke was thinking, but he seemed lost in many thoughts. His hands were in his pockets, like normal, yet he paced slightly behind her.

Once the door to her room was unlocked and they entered, the lion spirit finally spoke up and, much to her relief, he sounded like his usual self. In fact, the way he was looking at her right now made her arch a brow.

Loke drew his finger out and pointed it at her. "There was something you said back at the restaurant," he began, pausing to walk up to her. She didn't move from where she stood most likely because there wasn't much space to break free from his closeness. Loke took a deep breath. "You accused me of not knowing how you feel." He heard the quick shuffle of her feet, but he continued on. "How am I supposed to know if you don't say anything, Lucy? Do you expect me just to guess? Because I can't do that."

"No," Lucy replied, shaking her head. She sunk a little deeper into the wall she was positioned in front of. His profound gaze was hard to handle at the moment.

"Then why don't you tell me?" Loke enquired in an earnest tone.

Without really thinking his actions through, he moved closer, blocking any means of escape from the question. The sound of her breathing was steady as he peered down at her, watching every move she made, her every expression. There was no fear in her eyes from the sudden lack of space but from her nervous fidgeting, he could tell she was frantically searching her mind for something to say.

A part of him hated doing this to her. He shouldn't be asking for an answer but part of him wanted to hear it. The outside forces working against him weren't going to change if she just so happened to return the feelings he felt for her. It was all so contradicting.

Lucy was slightly tense by how near he was to her. She couldn't think straight. It's true that he made her feel nervous and her heart always sped up when contact was made but was that enough evidence that she has grown fond on him in _that_ meaning? The mage needed time to think, to sort things out yet she wasn't given it. Did he just expect her to make sense of it all on the spot like this?

Her brown orbs shifted to the ground. For some reason, she could barely find her voice. She was confused, so far beyond it actually. "I… I don't know."

After she spoke they were both still. Lucy could hardly bring herself to look up at him however she did. There was a slight glare in his blue shades, preventing her from detecting the exact emotion in his eyes. Her eyes darted away again.

"I'm sorry," she muttered in a breaking voice, as if tears would soon be pooling in her eyes.

Loke couldn't figure out why she apologized. Was it for starting this whole thing? For not knowing how she felt? There was no crime in that. The blonde was honestly unsure and he could see that now more than ever. And he just made it worse.

If only to satisfy his own curiosity, he leaned forward and her stare up at him became more timid. Her lips were extremely close. So many thoughts passed through his mind, like the various consequences that could stem from kissing her. Especially since the blonde just confessed the puzzlement she felt when it came to her feelings.

He expected her to do something but she wasn't moving a muscle. Not pushing him away or saying anything against what he has been wanting to so for so long. Regardless, he moved in again and just as she thought he was actually going to kiss her, his mouth landed on her cheek instead. The interaction only lasted a few seconds.

Loke pulled back enough that he could see the shy glance she gave him before he backed away. "Don't be. Goodnight, Lucy."

The second he disappeared into another room, her lungs emptied the air she was unknowingly holding. Her fingers touched the place he had kissed and she could feel the heat of the blush covering her face. Letting her hand slip, she slid down the wall to sit on the ground. There was little Lucy could do now. She knew Loke would want to be alone and she was sure he knew the same about her.

Hugging her knees to her chest, the blonde let out a troubled sigh. If only she kept her mouth shut. Had she caused irreparable damage to the friendship they shared? He told her not to be sorry, but what did that mean? That he wasn't angry, that everything was okay? Brushing away any almost fallen tears, she closed her eyes. She was too tired to think about it anymore tonight.

* * *

**This chapter probably turned out differently then everyone was expecting. I couldn't have them kiss this early in the story but no worries, it will happen eventually. You're just going to have to wait. Hopefully, you guys are looking forward to the next chapter. Reviews are appreciated.**


	13. Unresolved Feelings

**It's sad that Lolu week is over already. I wanted to write a few things but I didn't have the time so I just enjoyed reading on fanfiction and tumblr. I don't know if anyone bothers skimming through my author notes, I don't really say much in them anyway. Regardless, I hope you enjoy the chapter. **

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Lucy woke up the next morning with a slight headache. After everything that happened last night, she was in no mood to deal with the pounding nuisance. Loke was surprisingly up earlier than her and she could only suspect that things were going to be more awkward than they were before. The blonde was well aware of the fact that he could have kissed her and maybe he would have if she hadn't voiced her confusion.

Bringing the covers over her head, although she quite clearly remembered falling asleep on the floor, the mage couldn't get her mind off of that moment. He was so close to her. It was unsettling yet not at the same time. The quick peck on the cheek showed more of his careful and understanding side then she really wanted to believe he could expression. Not because she thought he couldn't be that way. It was more of a _why now_ kind of thing.

Regardless of that small incident, which was rather big in her mind, she had to make sure everything was still good between them. However, that was easier said than done. First she needed to succeed in getting out of bed.

The rays of sunlight pouring through the window hit Lucy's eyes the second the blanket was moved downward. Resisting the urge to hide back under them, she treaded to the bathroom to get some aspirin, only to find herself banging into Loke on the way there.

Luckily he managed to grab hold of her before she hit the ground. "Sorry, I didn't see you there," Lucy quickly said, retreating a few steps once he released her.

"It's alright," Loke replied, looking down at her. An almost strained amount of silence passed between them, with Lucy glancing in any direction that he wasn't in. He rubbed the back of his neck prior to stepping aside, allowing her to walk past him.

The spirit stood in one place as Lucy swallowed two pills. Since when was he the type of guy to let things be stressful between them? It's not like anything happened, exactly. Lucy wasn't sure how she felt and he wasn't going to press the issue anymore, yet his feelings for the teen seemed to be growing more and more every day, if that was even possible.

As soon as Lucy sat down at the table, she started to rub her temples to ease some of the pain. He simply watched her for a second, debating on what to do. Never having been in this kind of predicament before, since really no girl ever turned him down, although Lucy technically didn't, he was sort of lost on how to approach her. Acting like things were normal would be hard for either of them.

After another minute or so, Loke took a seat across from her, leaning back in an observing manner just as she lifted her head up to meet his eyes.

"About last night," Lucy started to say in a diffident voice. "You said I didn't need to apologize to you but I still feel kind of bad. I shouldn't have asked. I know I'm not always that nice to you when you try and ask me out or start flirting with me. I push you away and I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad so just stop asking for forgiveness. It's not necessary," he stated. The spirit hated to see her being so hard on herself when there was no reason to be. "Besides, I like those things about you, Lucy. Being turned down isn't all that great but there's just something about you that makes me keep coming back, so actually I'm the one who doesn't know when to quit."

He managed to make her smile a little bit, which was his aim. She was just one of those rare girls who didn't fall victim to his natural charm and good looks. Although, that trait was something that made her all the more perfect, for what would love be if it was so easily obtained? He was always working hard to impress her in hopes that someday he'd earn her affection. Now things were just a little complicated.

"You aren't one to give up easily," the wizard said back with mild humor. "That's not always a bad thing though. When it comes to girls, you can be pretty assertive." She shook her head a little at her last comment.

"Isn't that the type of guys you are interested in?" he questioned, remembering a few things he previously skimmed through in _Sorcerer Weekly_ about the blonde.

"You actually read that? I also said I like boys that are funny," she reminded him with a slight roll of her eyes. After all, she was simply just answering the interviews questions. "I don't know why you would remember something as trivial as that about me."

"No detail is insignificant," Loke said with a smile just as he realigned his shades with a finger. "Shouldn't a knight know all about the princess he swore to protect?"

She wanted to sigh at the fact that he was starting to flirt with her again but it was rather lifting to the atmosphere. "Despite what you want to address us as, there are still a lot of things you don't know about me. Things that a magazine won't tell you."

"Like how you always fall asleep on your right side, take a long time deciding what to wear, think that your cooking is bad when it actually isn't, have a small tendency to blush whenever anything relationship related is brought up, determined to get your way no matter what? Need I go on?" Loke asked with a small smirk. "It's interesting what you pick up after spending so much time with someone."

The celestial mage blinked a few times, taking in everything he mentioned. Loke stared at her for a second longer; didn't Lucy realize how much of a tease she was when she batted her eyelashes?

"I think you pay a little too much attention to me," she replied, arching a brow. After a moment, she rubbed her eyes in attempt to get rid the remainder of her headache. "I forgot to check the mail when we came back. I should have gotten something from _Sorcerer Weekly_ yesterday."

"I'm pretty sure you did," Loke replied. He got up to get the letter. Handing it to her, their fingers touched for the briefest instant, causing her to draw back hastily. It was a usual reaction for her but when he did it as well, it left him slightly puzzled. The spirit would always put his arm around her; do anything to be close to the blonde, so why was he suddenly drawing away?

He was constantly in control of his emotions when around her, until last night that is. Being extremely close to kissing her was somewhat overwhelming, seeing as he had wanted to do it for so long, yet he couldn't bring himself to take the chance. Now all it took was a simple touch, a shy glance, a smile, a giggle, anything to shake him from that control. It was certainly something he wasn't used to.

"They want me to come in today for the interview," Lucy said, after reading though the letter. "I have to get ready to leave now or I'm not going to make it in time. If I knew, I wouldn't have slept so late."

The mage rushed off, complaining a little to herself as she went to get changed. By the time Lucy returned, she was still muttering a little bit about it. The last thing she grabbed was her Gate Keys before looking back at the lion spirit.

"Are you just going to head to the guild then?" she asked, pulling at her hair a little.

"Unless you want me to come with you," he said, sort of hoping she would. He'd probably end up being pretty bored without her around, not that he was incapable of doing things that didn't include her or anything.

"No, you should be helping Levy." She shifted her feet a little when he stood up. "It's not that far away and I'll only be gone a few hours. You wouldn't have anything to do either… Besides, I like taking walks alone sometimes."

"Yes, I know," he said with a slight nod. His voice faded a bit at the end.

Recognizing that they were standing rather close to one another again, she dipped her head down. The blonde was conscious of how much space or lack of, there was between them. And she wasn't exactly ready to relive that moment in her mind right now.

"I guess I'll see you later then," Lucy said, backing away. She headed out the door but paused after she ambled down the flight of stairs. A heavy sight escaped her lips. Things were worse than she thought they'd be. In spite of how uncomfortable she felt, there was still a sense of ease when around him. Shaking it off, the wizard continued her way down the road.

She was truly starting to understand just how real his feelings were for her and whether she'd like to admit it or not, maybe her heart was starting to feel a slight pull in his direction too.

* * *

Loke sat idly at one of the many tables at Fairy Tail with his head resting on his hand. Levy was across from him with a pile of books surrounding her, looking for anything that could be useful. Everything was explained to her last night by Erza and she was more than ready to start researching all that she could.

The lion spirit had a book in front of him, but only flipped through the pages every so often. He wanted to help, nevertheless he lacked the motivation. Lucy was still on his mind. To be precise, she was the majority of the time. The way the mage was acting around him now was troublesome. He could do nothing but try and make things like they usually were between them but the two of them seemed to be alone a lot. He wasn't going to complaining about that aspect, it just didn't make things very easy.

The trust and friendship they shared was too important to lose. Their relationship, whether it turned into something more or not, was the one thing he needed to maintain more than anything. Without her, he wouldn't know what to do so he had to tread carefully.

The spirit let out a breath. He needed to find something to do before he went stir-crazy. Natsu was out attempting to go fishing with Happy, Gray was taking care of a small job, and Erza, Wendy, and Carla were hanging around the guild somewhere.

He started tapping his fingers, distracting the script mage. "Loke, I know you don't like researching but I need you to focus. Freed will be back sometime tomorrow and I would like to get as much done as possible. On top of that, we have to wait until Lucy gets back, which should be soon, so you might as well relax. The more help we have the better off we'll be. Don't forget, this is all for you."

"I know and as grateful as I am, I can't concentrate on this right now. Couldn't I at least take a break and walk around the guild?" Loke asked, trying to free himself from doing going through any more volumes of literature. Exhaling lightly, she shooed him away with a few flicks of her hand. In the end, she wasn't going to get anything done with him complaining.

He walked for a little while before sitting down next to Cana. The brunette already drank a decent amount of alcohol despite the time of day it was and somehow she succeeded in staying sober. He could never fully grasp how she managed to do that.

"I guess you're pretty bored without Lucy around," Cana commented upon seeing his face. He grimly nodded his head. Loke became so accustomed to being with her for the past few days he didn't know what to do with himself now. "The whole guild is talking about you guys dating, whether it's true or not."

"I should have known they would be," he said back. "Everyone here had become pretty predictable. I kind of miss how things used to be. Taking jobs with you was always interesting, considering you were drunk half the time."

She shrugged his comment off. "You know, a while back Lucy told me about how she never had a boyfriend. She freaked out when I announced it to the guild. Judging how she is when it comes to that stuff, it wouldn't surprise me if you weren't going out. Although, I'd say you're doing it backwards, seeing as you're living together first. It's no wonder why you got everybody gossiping."

"As much as I want to say we're a couple, I can't. It's more complex than I'd like it to be," Loke confessed sheepishly. "Besides, staying with Lucy is only temporary and it's not like we're doing anything."

"What can I say, people assume, even if it's none of their business." Cana slouched onto the table more as she was beginning to feel a bit tired from sitting around all day.

"Not that I like the idea of her dating other guys, but I would have though she was asked out a lot. I don't see why people wouldn't be interested in her." The idea didn't sit well with him, however this has been something he was curious about for some time.

"Nope, not that I know of. I can't be sure though. It's not like I keep tabs on her," Cana replied. "There was this one guy she almost went out with. She ended up sending me in her place so she could go on a mission with Natsu or something. I was more his type anyway. But just like all guys, he's gone. Off writing his novel or whatever it was he was doing." She puffed out her cheeks a bit prior to downing more of her drink.

That information was fairly depressing. He still went out on dates, rarely in his defense, and Lucy should be able to as well but his always meant nothing to him. Habit maybe? The blonde, in contrast, wouldn't go out with someone for no reason, which meant she must have liked that guy. He frowned a little.

With him always being in the Celestial Spirit World, he had no idea what was going on with his key owner. He could lose her without even knowing that he did. It was feasible that the next time he decided to randomly appear, as he did every so often, to see her in the arms of another male. Loke didn't even want to think of that being a possibility. Skimming his hand across the wood, he let out a small sigh.

"A girl gets pretty lonely without having a man in her life," Cana aimlessly commented, appearing like she was talking about herself. "You go out with girls all the time, or at least you used to. I don't know about now, but don't you ever just want to find the right person and settle down?"

He looked away for a moment. Being with Lucy was only a dream, something that could never become a reality. A spirit could never be anything more than what they are. Eternal beings that never get the chance to fall in love with a human and those who do are doomed from the start. It was plain fact by now.

No matter how badly he wanted her it didn't make a difference, yet he couldn't stop his yearn to stay alongside her. "I don't think it matters what I want," Loke replied starting to answer the question. "When you're a spirit, things aren't that easy when it comes to love."

"I don't see why," the brunette said bluntly. "Love is love no matter which way you spin it. You always were melodramatic when it came to the actual thing. I get the fact that you're no longer human, not that you really ever were, but that doesn't change anything. I'm not telling you to do something you don't want to do, I'm just pointing out the obvious. You're the one who's going to have to live by the choices you make."

Cana knew that last part a little too well. She's been a member of this guild for ages and not once was she able to do what she came here for. Not like it really mattered, he wasn't around and who knew when he'd return. Gildarts was always coming and going.

Rolling her eyes at the mere concept of ever being able to confront him, she went back to drinking. Perhaps he was just never meant to know he had a daughter so close to him all along.

The brunette had a point, then again Loke couldn't see anything changing between Lucy and himself right now. Once everything was figured out with the spell, he'd be going back home and things would be back to the way they were. The lion spirit would only get to see the blonde when she summoned him during a battle. He could drop by occasionally if he wanted, but in the end what would that do?

All he had to offer was feeble attempts at flirting and that clearly didn't do much. What he really wanted to do was just talk to her about it and if Lucy honestly wasn't interested then that was his answer. However, if she was, they would figure things out. Evidently after last night and this morning, she needed to think and he would give her the space she sought to have.

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Lucy spent a few hours at the photo shoot for the magazine and was exhausted by the end of it. She was also slightly irritated after having to interview with Matsuki again out of all people. He always asked too many personal questions. Apparently, she was spotted hanging out with Loke a few times and was basically interrogated about it.

On the other hand, she was extremely happy with how the pictures turned out. They even allowed her to keep a few. Overall, Lucy couldn't wait for the magazine to come out next month, too bad she wouldn't get paid until then either, meaning no money for her rent.

"I should probably take a job request or something," the blonde muttered. "What do you think, Plue?"

She looked down at the tiny spirit. He made a few noises in response as he attempted to keep up with her. She let out a small laugh. He was just too cute.

Lucy lifted her head up to feel the cool breeze blow past. The fall weather was beautiful but it was a bit too cold out for her liking. Shivering a little, she rubbed her arms, thinking about how warm the guild would be. But as soon as her thoughts transferred to Loke, she shook her head, refusing to let her mind linger on the lion spirit. It was a weak attempt. There were just too many questions when it came to him.

"I don't know what to do," she exclaimed, momentarily covering her face with her hands. "This would be a lot easier if he wasn't so… himself. You know, sometimes I envy you, Plue. You don't seem to have a care in the world. It must be nice not having to deal with so much. Although, I suppose you really wouldn't know." Glancing down at him, she sighed a bit. "I wonder what you'd say if you could talk back."

The mage ran her fingers through her hair before speaking again. "You probably just tell me to make up my mind. If only it were that simple. It's a difficult situation. I shouldn't even be considering it though. I ought to just turn him down but I can't get myself to do it. He's my celestial spirit for crying out loud and I don't know the first thing about dating either. I'm just making it worse. I just have to stop thinking about him that's all. Soon enough it won't even be a problem."

Every time she attempted to shift her attention, he kept coming back. The mental implications were as persistent as he was. Part of her actually wanted to say yes the next time he asked her out, while the other half knew it wasn't a good idea to get involved with him romantically. She really wasn't good dealing with these kinds of circumstances!

"Why can't I just get these stupid thoughts out of my head?!" the blonde suddenly yelled. When a few people turned in her direction, the wizard covered her mouth and hurried along faster. "Way to embarrass yourself more, Lucy," she reprimanded herself in a slight scold.

Stopping, she looked at her reflection in the riverbank. Could she really picture herself in a relationship with anyone? Holding hands and doing other couple things? All this ruminating was giving her unneeded stress.

Lucy's mind was brought back when Plue unexpectedly started making louder sounds than normal, as if he was trying to say something. The mage knelt down next to him slightly puzzled.

"I wish Natsu was here. He seems like the only one who can understand you," she told the little spirit. Picking him up, he wiggled restlessly. "What's wrong with you? Did you get hurt or something?" Plue jumped from her knees and ran in front of her. "What are you-" Turning around she stopped herself from talking. The spirit stood with his paws out to the side as if he was trying to protect her.

Standing a few feet away was a group of people wearing the same cloaks as the wizards who attacked her on the island. Lucy momentarily froze but shook the fear from her body. "Plue, go back to the Celestial World," she ordered and the little dog disappeared in a puff of smoke. She rose up slowly with her fingers gripping the keys attached to her belt.

This time she was going to be ready. Not waiting for them to make the first move she pulled out a gold key. "Open Gate of the Ram, Aries!"

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**That was bound to happen eventually, right? You can't just expect the people who were after Lucy to give up. You'll find out who they are and what they want at some point. I have a few things going on so I have to make sure I include all that previously happened. This chapter was interesting to write considering Loke and Lucy are somewhat at odds with one another when it comes to their feelings, but things will work out in the end.(of course it won't be easy, but I won't spoil anything for you guys) **


	14. Course of Action

**I had a horrible case of writers block this week, but I managed to finish the chapter before Saturday. Thanks for all follows, favorites, and the reviews. Enjoy the chapter. **

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In a puff of smoke the ram spirit made her appearance, standing where Plue was originally. Timidly, she held her hand up to her chin like she always did. Regardless of the way she held herself, Aries was willing to fight.

There were about five, maybe six people that stood a few feet from them, but the blonde already knew they were strong. Without Loke's assistance the last time, she would have been captured, there's no doubt about it. To think they would come all the way to Magnolia to try and kidnap her again. She couldn't focus of their reasons right now though. Lucy may have been outnumbered and down by one spirit, but that didn't technically mean she was outmatched. She had enough magic to hold out.

"Okay, we're going to take care of this quickly," Lucy informed the spirit. She didn't precisely have a plan, however thinking on her feet was something she became quite good at after being part of Team Natsu for so long. "All I need is a distraction of some sort. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Aries nodded her head and drew back her arms. "Wool bomb," she exclaimed, moving her hands forward, shooting a massive amount of pink wool at the opponents. The enemies became relaxed once they felt the soft fleece around them. "I'm sorry. Did I do okay?" she asked afterwards.

"Yes, thanks. Your attack really comes in handy. Now that they're preoccupied, I have to get out of here," Lucy said but suddenly stopped. "Oh, I wanted to let you know that Loke's fine. I can't explain everything in detail right now, but he can't return to the Celestial World because of some spell. We're working as fast as we can to remove it. If you tell the Spirit King, I'd appreciate it."

"I was worried because he hasn't returned," Aries told her, making sure the foes were still stuck in place. "I'll do my best to make sure the he knows what's going on. Leo normally summons himself here but he's never been gone this long. The King isn't strict about it but most spirits aren't able to survive being away from home for extended periods of time."

"I just don't want Loke getting into any trouble for this. I really don't know Celestial Law all that well," Lucy mentioned, checking her surroundings. "I should get going though, thanks again for the help."

"Anytime. I'm glad you were able to help Leo the way you did. He's really happy now," Aries said just before her gate was closed.

Lucy shook off the feeling she got after hearing the spirit's words. There was no time for that. Knowing the ram's magic would soon dissolve, the mage took off down the street. She knew going to the guild was the best option and it's not like she wanted to stick around anyway. Those guys were more intent on taking her then she originally thought. Questioning them didn't get her anywhere last time so there was no point in trying to now.

The blonde turned a corner and banged right into more of the wizards, being sent to the ground from the impact. "You've got to be kidding me," she muttered, rubbing her head. Apparently, a bigger group was sent than she assumed. They most likely decided to spilt up in means of locating her faster.

"That's the girl," one of them shouted. Upon his words, they all tried to grab her at once.

Lucy let out a squeal before seizing another key. "Open Gate of the Giant Crab, Cancer!"

"Shall I give you a trim, ebi?" the spirit asked upon appearing, snipping his scissors in the process.

"Maybe some other time. Can you just do something about them for now? I really need to get out of here." As the spirit proceeded to cut their hair and knock them out one by one, Lucy got on her knees and glanced around. "There's probably more here and I'm only drawing attention to myself like this. Plus there's a bunch of people around who could get hurt." She bit back on her lip after voicing her thoughts.

She had to think of some kind of plan. The blonde continued to look at her surroundings until an idea came to mind. As soon as Lucy got back on her feet, Cancer was finished and vanished with a farewell. Not wanting to waste any more time, Lucy ran in the opposite direction she was heading, the woods to be specific. That way she could circle around and get to Fairy Tail without running into anyone. It was the perfect plan.

After taking a few more turns and pushing through a crowd, she made her way out of the town and into the wooded area. Trees would definitely provide enough cover for her, after a few minutes though, Lucy paced down to a walk. Tired and out of breath, the celestial mage resting against a tree, feeling the small prickles of bark against her back. It was silly of her to think they wouldn't come looking for her a second time.

"I already used two of my keys and Plue was out before too," she mumbled to herself. "If needed I could still summon more of my spirits but so far no one seems to be around." The blonde peered past the tree, scraping her shoulder a bit on the wood. She didn't see anyone, yet their voices were easy to hear.

"Okay, I can deal with this," Lucy quietly reassured herself. "All I need to do is get out of here without making a sound. Once I get back to the guild, I'm home free. They wouldn't dare go after me in there. Once the other know they're here maybe then we can capture one of them and finally know what they want with me." She smiled a little deviously at her own idea. Then they could be the ones being chased instead of her all the time.

Lucy waited another minute before deciding to go. She went into a full out run, not taking anything but her destination into account, causing her to not notice the elevated root. Her foot got caught, sending her crashing to the dirt. What was with her and hitting the ground lately? Maybe she was picking up Wendy's tripping habit or something.

"Oh, come on! Why don't things ever work out for me?" she hissed out in slight pain. If the impact didn't catch their attention her short scream did. Pushing herself up again, her ankle throbbed as soon as pressure was applied.

With no time to dwell on it, she just kept moving. Looking behind, Lucy saw a few of them and they were gaining on her fast. Loke would easily be able to take out these guys, but she couldn't summon him. And the likelihood of him showing up was slim. The lion spirit would have no way of knowing she was in trouble, although for some reason he tended to pass through the gate just in time to save her.

As she heard their shouts, Lucy brought her keys up to eye level. Looks like another spirit had to be brought out. Who to summon was the problem. Taurus or perhaps Scorpio? Either of them were strong enough to get the job done but she was feeling drained at the moment. It was then her ears picked up on something else, the sound of yelling?

Wait, she recognized the voices. "Natsu! Gray!" she called out, hoping they would hear her. Despite the injury, she sped up until she saw the two mages fighting one another, with Happy watching from the sidelines. Panting, she rested her hands on her knees. "Will you guys cut it out?!" To her surprise, the two mages actually listened to her for once.

"What happened to you?" the dragon slayer asked, getting a look at her appearance.

"It looks like you were attacked by a giant sea monster!" Happy exclaimed, starting to float in the air.

Her eyebrow twitched. She didn't look that bad… or did she? That wasn't even the issue right now. "No time… to explain…" the mage said between breaths, deciding to ignore the cat's ridiculous statement.

"Looks like you don't have to," Gray noted as her pursuers came into view. "These guys again. They're really starting to be a pain in the ass."

The blonde shifted her weight on one leg as the two mages stood behind her. She couldn't even count how many where here now. Lucy figured whoever sent them must have really wanted the job to be done. Although with things like this, normally people try to be discreet unless for some reason they wanted their objective and presence known.

"Hand over Lucy Heartfilia," the one in front of the group said. Most of them already had their magic activated and stood ready for a fight to break out. And they had good reason to be. Fairy Tail was known for striking first and asking questions later.

"Like we'd ever do that," Natsu yelled before racing out, making sure he got the first move. "Fire Dragon Roar!"

The ice mage was about to join in too, but Lucy stopped him. "Gray, if we can get ahold of one of them we can bring them back to the guild and get them to talk. That way we'll finally know who's behind all of this."

The black-haired man nodded his head. "That would be a lot easier if Natsu wasn't so reckless all the time," he mentioned while looking at the dragon slayer's array of attacks. He was actually doing a pretty good job holding them off.

"Who are you calling reckless?!" Natsu demanded, stopping to come face-to-face with the ice wielder.

"Who do you think, you fiery mouth breather?! You're going to burn down the whole woods at this rate," Gray shouted back.

"Well, maybe if you were doing some actual fighting, that wouldn't be a problem!" The two mages started bickering back and forth once again, completely disregarding the fact that they were in the middle of a battle.

Lucy slapped her forehead due to their childish antics. "And here I thought I could count on them. They can't even stay focused on the matter at hand. If Erza was here right now this wouldn't be an issue."

"Aye," Happy agreed, standing at the blonde's feet. "She would have stopped the guys coming at you right now too."

Upon his words, Lucy turned to the side, seeing that what he said was indeed true. Mentally panicking, she made another attempt for her keys almost dropping them in the process. A second after she looked up, the maiden spirit was there. "Virgo?"

She sent a few of them to the ground and landed gracefully on her feet. "I felt that you required assistance, Princess. Punishment?"

"I really wish you'd stop asking me that," she replied with a sigh. "Just do what you can." As soon as the pink-haired spirit bowed her head, Lucy glanced around at the current battle. Natsu and Gray were, thankfully, back to fighting the hooded men instead of themselves along with Virgo's assistance but the brawl was getting out of hand. Trees were getting knocked down and fire and ice were everywhere.

The blonde wished she had her whip so she could lend a hand, but it was left on the island. Lucy didn't exactly get around to acquiring another one either. Not being skilled in combat left her pretty much standing around, regardless with a twisted ankle there wasn't much she could do.

The wizard had to suddenly duck her head to avoid being hit with one of Natsu's attacks. "Watch where you're throwing those flames! You're going to knock me into the river." She paused, realizing something. "Hold on, I can summon Aquarius from here."

Lucy leaped down into the icy water, nearly soaking her skirt from almost stubbing in. She really had to start taking her injury into account before doing things. A shiver traveled up her spine. The stream was absolutely freezing, not that she expected it to be warm when winter would soon be approaching.

"Open gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius!" Lucy announced, dipping part of the gold key down. She didn't anticipate a happy greeting from the mermaid, knowing she was always irritated when called upon.

"What's the big idea summoning me when I'm in the middle of a date with Scorpio?" the spirit questioned. "Just because you don't have a boyfriend doesn't mean you can keep taking me away from mine."

"Sorry…" Lucy said back a little nervously. She brushed that aside and pointed to the enemies. "I know your strong enough to destroy half the forest but if you could just focus your attack-"

Aquarius didn't even let her finish taking before sending a giant wave out. Virgo proofed away just in time, but everyone else got swept up in it. By the time the water settled down Lucy and the others were soaked. Shaking some of the water from her hair, the blonde looked over at the spirit. "Was that really necessary?"

"They're defeated just like you wanted," the mermaid replied in a curt tone. "Now if that's all, I would like to get back to my date with my _boyfriend_." She sent a small smirk in her master's direction before leaving.

"You don't need to put emphasis on the word!" Lucy yelled out. She could totally get a boyfriend if she wanted to. In fact she already knew Loke was interested in her and would probably jump at the chance but with her confused mindset, Lucy was still trying to figure things out. Although, she would have to say the mermaid's constant taunts were not helpful by any means.

"You could have at least warned us or something," Natsu said to Lucy as he used his fire to dry himself. "I think you caused more damage than I did but at least the fires are out now." He grinned and glanced down at the spinning Exceed. "You okay?"

"Aye, now I know what it's like to fish in the ocean," Happy replied, rambling in his dizziness.

Lucy felt another chill and sneezed a few times, suddenly not feeling that great after being drenched in cold water and on top of that, her ankle was still hurting. "I don't feel very well," the blonde said, sniffling.

"That's probably because you're still all wet," the dragon slayer pointed out.

"I can't do anything about that. I'm not human drying machines like you two." Lucy really didn't need to this along with everything else. The only good thing was Wendy would be able to make it go away faster. Lucy glimpsed over at the retreating men and remembered that they still needed one of them so she called out to Natsu. "You have to grab one of them before they all get away."

"Got it," he announced suddenly running and jumping at one of them. He probably crushed the guy.

"I said grab not tackle!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Whatever, we still got him," Gray said, coming over to her. "We should head back to the guild. It's about time we got some answers."

"You might want to put your shirt back on before going through the town," Lucy pointed out prior to sneezing again.

* * *

The wizard they apprehended was taken to Fairy Tail and was currently being interrogated by Makarov and a few other members of the guild. Lucy only got worse over the course of the journey back so she and they others decided to talk at her apartment. Wendy was in the process of healing the blonde's injuries and doing the best she could with the cold Lucy caught.

"I knew I should have gone with her," Loke expressed in mild frustration. "If I was there, I could have at least done something." The lion spirit was well aware that she was capable of taking care of herself, but the fact that he was at the guild oblivious of it all was bothersome. He ran his fingers through his shortened mane still unable to take a seat and relax.

"Calm down," Erza told the pacing spirit, even she knew it was rare for him to raise his voice. "I'm angry about this too, but freaking out over it isn't going to solve anything. Just be happy that she's still here. At least Natsu and Gray were there to help so it's not like she had to do all the fighting alone." She sat the table with the fire dragon and ice mage.

How could she possibly expect him to calm down? What would have happened if those two weren't around? With that many people after her at one time, there's no telling what would have happened. In the worst case scenario Lucy could have been kidnapped without them even knowing or ended up getting a more severe injury. Did Erza really expect him to just be okay with that?

"If I wasn't on my way back from a job, I wouldn't have been there in the first place," Gray mentioned, lounging back on his chair. "Lucy ended up taking them all out anyway. Even if we weren't there, she would have come across the river eventually and summoned Aquarius."

"That's true but Natsu and I still would have been fishing if you didn't show up and started fighting," Happy said.

"Who really cares about what happened or what could have? I think it's more important finding out what they want with Lucy. I knew we should have just demanded some answers when we had the chance," Natsu told them, surprisingly sounding like the voice of reason. "But Gramps should be able to get that guy to talk soon."

"It's not like we expected them to make a move like this so soon though," Erza stated, bringing her hand to her chin in thought. "The Master is still trying to get some information himself but with everything going on lately he hasn't had a lot of time."

"That's exactly what I mean," Loke said, speaking once again. All their eyes turned up towards him. "After we left the island everyone we were so focused on trying to remove the spell preventing me from going back to the Celestial World that we completely disregarded the fact that they were after Lucy in the first place." On top of trying to deal with his feelings for the girl, he now felt guilty for not being able to do anything. "I'm her spirit; I should have been there to protect her." Loke let out a sigh before finally taking a seat with the others.

"Like I said, the important thing is that she's here with us now," Erza reminded the lion spirit. "But you have a point. We should have taken that into account before. I think it would be best if she's not alone for an extended amount of time. They're after Lucy for a reason. We just don't know what it is yet."

"She's with Loke constantly so we pretty much have that covered," Gray said. "I can already tell you though Lucy's not going to like having people watch over her all the time like that."

"Yeah, I know. Whenever I'm at her house for too long she complains about how I'm invading her personal space or something and kicks me out," Natsu said, crossing his arms. He leaned back in the chair, tilting it a little.

"Aye," Happy replied, confirming what the dragon slayer said. "Lucy yelled a lot the last time you started reading her novel too."

"Either way," Loke said, bringing the discussion back on topic. "We all know that keeping a close eye on her is all we can do, but don't you think we should ask her what she wants? Lucy should have a say in all of this." The spirit would still be with her no matter what, regardless of how serious the situation was. "I may not be able to use a lot of my magic right now, however if it comes down to it, I will do whatever I have to."

"I expected no less from you," Erza responded, nodding her head. She wouldn't say anything now, but she has been noticing how close the two of them were getting over the past few days. At first the red-haired woman just thought Loke was flirting with Lucy, much like the blonde did, yet after seeing the way he was when around her, she knew there was more to it then she originally believed.

"So what, do we just sit here and wait until Lucy wakes up?" Natsu asked, slumping down in his seat.

Wendy came over to them just as the fire dragon asked his question. She had a small smile on her face. "I was able to heal Lucy's injuries and I did my best to help with her cold but it won't be gone probably until tomorrow morning." She let out a breath, feeling out of tired and drained. Actually, everyone was pretty much beat.

"I told you that was too much," Carla light scolded the girl. "You don't have to keep pushing yourself so hard."

"All Lucy really needs is some rest," Wendy informed them. "She said something about it being too loud with all of you here though."

"We should probably go then," Erza said to the other. "If the Master hasn't gotten a word from that wizard yet I'm certain I could be of some help. I'm sure you three could find something useful to do. You could start by cleaning up the mess you made during your battle. I heard that you two went a little overboard with you magic again." Gray and Natsu looked about ready to protest but stopped when they caught her eye.

"I could stay and help out," Wendy offered, feeling a bit bad that she couldn't do anything more for the blonde.

"Don't worry about it, you should rest. I can take it from here," Loke told the young dragon slayer.

"Good luck man, Lucy's not that easy to be around when she's sick," Gray said, getting up to leave.

Natsu was going to climb through the window, but Erza grabbed him by the scarf and dragged him out the door, muttering something about how he should be normal and actually use it when entering and leaving someone's home. She would be bringing Wendy and Carla to Fairy Hills before going to the guild. Natsu, Gray, and Happy weren't left with any other choice but to do what the armored mage said. They really didn't want to get her mad.

As soon as everyone was gone the place was quite again. Loke let out a sigh, as frustrated as he was for not being there with Lucy when all of that happened; he was more concerned about what he was supposed to do now. Lucy would most likely want to sleep for the rest of the day, nonetheless things were still a bit difficult between them. That would have to be pushed aside for now considering the circumstances. He had never taken care of anyone when they were ill before, but he figured it couldn't be all that hard and besides it was still a chance to spend more time with her.

* * *

**I don't particularly like writing fights which is why it didn't last all that long. It was nice to write the others though, it's been a while since they were all in the same chapter together. I wish Hiro Mashima would go into more detail about the Celestial World and explain more of the rules. That would be extremely helpful. Please review.**


	15. Sick Day

**Welcome to chapter 15. Times goes by so fast, it feels like just yesterday I put up the first chapter. I really had no idea what I was going to do for this one but as you can see, I managed. Thanks for the reviews, they are appreciated. **

* * *

Lucy pulled the covers closer to her body. She was freezing and most likely had a fever. Wendy said she would feel better by tomorrow morning, but there were still a few hours left before she would normally go to sleep. Despite her tiredness at the moment, the blonde didn't want to close her eyes. She was more troubled by the thought of what just happened.

They managed to capture one of the hooded men, yet she was unsure if the Master could get any information from the guy. She hoped for his sake he was being talkative before Erza showed up because if not, he would have wished he was.

The mage let out a heavy breath only to start coughing a few times, making her throat hurt. Lucy had no idea the symptoms of her cold would develop so quickly. Perhaps she should have summoned another spirit to help her out, on the other hand the only other that was as strong as Aquarius, or maybe even stronger, was Loke and he wasn't available by key.

It didn't even matter now anyway. Lucy ducked her head with her blanket, listening to the sound of quietness. It was just her and Loke alone once again. The only good thing about being sick was she didn't have to focus on figuring out her feelings for him right this second. Resting should be her priority, but she just couldn't relax.

The blonde peered over the pink material and saw the lion spirit making his way over to her. She could only assume he didn't look very happy because of the events that recently took place. Lucy rarely heard him raise his voice. During battles he has many times nonetheless, it was just different when it was during a conversation. It's not like he was yelling, just talking louder than normal is all.

"Do you need anything?" Loke asked, once he approached her. He gazed down at her, looking a bit unsure of what to say. "I could make some tea if you want. It might help with your throat."

Lucy nodded her head. "I want to talk to you about something too," she mentioned before sneezing. He shook his head while heading to the kitchen. Simply by watching his actions, she could tell something wasn't right. Loke certainly wasn't acting like himself.

After a few minutes passed, the orange-haired spirit came back and handed her the warm drink. Lucy took a few sips prior to holding the cup on her lap.

"Before you say anything," Loke said, meeting her eyes. "I wanted to apologize for not being able to help. Even though you wanted to go by yourself, I should have been there."

"I don't expect you to come to my rescue all the time, you know?" Lucy told him. "Having me relying on you constantly would become a burden. I have other spirits I can call, so it's not like my safety always falls upon you. Besides, you have to trust that I know what I'm doing."

"I do. I always have," he insisted. Loke couldn't even recall a moment when that was even questionable. She was so different than any master he had previously, the spirit couldn't help but admire her. The blonde cared for all of them and would do anything to maintain the bonds they share. "But, Lucy, you have to understand for a celestial spirit, it's a matter of pride. When it comes to you, I don't fight because of our contract, I do it because I care about you."

Lucy looked away shyly. He was doing it again, making her feel all weird inside. If he was flirting like normal it would be so much easier to pass it off as nothing, but when he was being serious like that it was so hard to not question her affections towards him. Hitting on her was one thing yet his sincere side was showing more often. Part of her really liked seeing that characteristic, even though she was aware that it was always there.

The blonde never knew what to make of his advances in the past. Spending these past few days together was proving to her just how much about him she didn't know or never took the time to understand. There was a lot more to him than meets the eye.

She would have liked to tell Loke that she cared about him too. The words just wouldn't come out. "I just don't want you to blame yourself when really it's not your fault," Lucy ended up saying. The blush forming on her cheeks was making her feel twice as embarrassed.

"Protecting you is the most important thing," he said sincerely. The spirit watched her as she kept her head down, looking into her cup. Noticing how flushed her face was, he wondered if her fever was getting worse. When he reached out to touch her forehead, she nearly jumped back until she realized what he was doing. "You still feel warm. Your face is getting really red."

"It's your fault," she said, puffing out her cheeks and turning to the side. She could nearly slap herself for admitting he was the one causing the pink coloring to appear on her face, but she was sure Loke already knew he triggered that to happen quite often.

The spirit chuckled a little from her reaction. It wasn't much but he could tell Lucy her feelings were increasing, however he couldn't assume they were romantic when it could just be the two of them growing closer in friendship. He could still hope the first one was correct though.

"You know, Lucy, if I had to guess, I'd say you were falling for me. I did tell you the power of our love was great," Loke said in a slight tease.

"D-Do you have to keep saying things like that?" The blonde asked in a tense tone. And here she was thinking her feelings wouldn't be an issue for a while, although it was kind of reassuring to hear him talking normal after he was looking down earlier. It just wasn't easy to deal with right now, especially when she was sick.

Loke smiled, deciding it was best to drop it. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Oh yeah," she said, her disposition changing completely. "I wanted to tell you when I summoned Aries, I told her basically what was going on and asked her if she could tell the Spirit King. I figured at least that way he would understand that you're not purposely staying here. I'm not all that clear on the laws but I thought he should know."

"He's not as strict as he used to be, thanks to you," Loke replied with a nod. He thought it would be best to tell her a few things considering how unclear she was about their rules. "No matter how long I am able to stay here, I need to have a reason. For example, let's just say I was to temporarily void our contract-"

"Wait, you can do that?" Lucy asked, raising an eyebrow. Shouldn't that have been something she knew before?

"Only if there is enough trust between a spirit and their key owner. If I was to, the King would need to approve of it first. That's sort of how it works," he continued to clarify. "I am allowed to come and go as I please since I am capable, it's only breaking the law if it extends for too long, seeing as most spirits can't pass through the gate on their own. It's rather painful forcing yourself to stay here at first; it took me a few months to be able to tolerate it."

"Would you be in a lot of trouble for hanging around here for as long as you have?" Lucy glanced up at him, taking in his look. It seemed thoughtful and somewhat nostalgic at the same time. She didn't know what to make of it.

"The King wouldn't be very happy about it but if he was to give me some kind of punishment, I'm sure it wouldn't be anything too bad. It probably would just be used to set an example," Loke replied with a shrug, as if it was no big deal. It wasn't one to him, nonetheless he knew how Lucy would feel about it.

Disappointment settled in her stomach. "That doesn't sound very fair. Why should you be penalized for protecting me? It doesn't make any sense." The blonde started sulking a little. She had no energy to get riled up about it. "Why are the consequences for breaking even a simple law so harsh? You shouldn't be in trouble at all."

"It doesn't matter, rules are rules. Without them the Celestial World would be chaotic, anywhere would be. It's not my place to speak against them," Loke stated. "Nor is it yours," he reminded her. "I grateful that you stood up for me that time, I wouldn't be here if you didn't, but you don't have to feel bad about what could happen when I return home. Being able to stay by your side this long is well worth it."

"It's not like I was planning on making a big scene... again," Lucy crossed her arms. She knew he was right, overreacting wasn't going to solve anything. It shouldn't take too much longer to get the spirit back to his world. Freed is returning tomorrow and he would be a great help to Levy.

The blonde rested back against her pillow after getting a wave of nausea. Wendy didn't say anything about her illness becoming worse. She supposed the dragon slayer couldn't do anything about it though. Lucy brought her hand up to her mouth as soon as she started coughing.

"I feel horrible," the blonde complained. She could hardly breathe through her nose, which made her voice sound weird, her throat hurt, and even her muscles ached from all the running around she did earlier. "Why did I have to get sick in the first place? It's not fair."

"Do you have any medicine you can take?" Loke asked, as she continued to grumble.

"Yeah," Lucy replied slowly. "But I don't want it. It tastes awful and I'd rather not add throwing up to my list of symptoms." She placed her cup to the side and got under her blanket more after feeling a chill pass through her. Moving around a little, she still couldn't get comfortable because as soon as she started to settle into a position a sneeze came.

He shook his head at her childish answer. "If it can help even just a little bit don't you think it's worth the few seconds of a terrible taste?"

"No, I'd rather suffer!" Lucy said, pulling the covers over her head another time.

* * *

"All you have to do is tell us who you're working for," Erza stated. She glared down at the captured man. Makarov was to her left and Mirajane to her right. So far they couldn't get a single answer from him. They were in the lower level of the guild, with Elfman guarding the door and groups of Fairy Tail members looking for the rest of the men sent to kidnap the blonde.

"We also need to know why you want Lucy," Mira added, frowning. Still the bound man said nothing. She looked down at the Master. "What should we do? He won't talk."

"We've been at this for over an hour already," Makarov said. He figured something like this would happen. Primarily they needed to get some information from this guy. If they couldn't make him talk, other methods would have to be used. The old man let out a sigh and directed his eyes to the white-haired woman. "Maybe Warren can find something out. Can you go and get him?"

Mira nodded her head and rushed out of the room. Once she was gone Erza made a gesture with her hand, and the two of them stepped aside. "After I left Wendy at Fairy Hills, I asked Natsu and Gray to look around the area where the fight took place to see if they could find anything. I'm not sure why, but for some reason this feels off. Like capturing him was a little too easy."

Makarov brought his hand up to his chin. "They have been careful about concealing their identities from the start. It's unlikely that he couldn't get away along with the others. Just from looking at him, I can tell the type of magic he possesses is on par with Natsu's. He should have been able to fight back."

"And yet Lucy said he didn't put up much of a struggle." The mage placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her gaze. "I don't see what good purposely allowing himself to get caught would do."

"I'm not sure myself. The rest escaped but we can't be sure they all went back to the island. They could be biding their time until the right moment comes along." Makarov took a short look at the man, who kept his gaze to the floor, before turning back to her. "You are making sure Lucy is with someone at all times, right?"

"Yeah, she's with Loke right now but I don't think they'll make another attempt anytime soon. They waited a while before coming here after our first encounter. However, I'm sure they weren't expecting us to be there." In fact Erza was positive they weren't. From what she was told, the men didn't have an attack plan, they merely tried to grab Lucy and run.

"No matter, the effort to take her with them was still made," he said, making his point.

"Something just isn't sitting well with me. I just don't know why," she replied, in a cautious tone. "Have you sent anyone else to the island to investigate?"

"Yes, but they all came back empty handed. No one has seen even one of those guys since your group came back. That is, until now." The Master stood gravely and shook his head. "I don't like the looks of this."

"I would suggest getting the Council involved if this problem was to develop more, but we already know after that incident with Jellal and the Tower of Heaven that we are not looked highly upon by the new members." It was only a fleeting moment that she mentioned the blue-haired man, yet the memories of that confrontation came back to her quite vividly, however she pushed them aside.

"On top of that, that island is out of their jurisdiction," he informed the mage. "It's one of the few places they have no direct power on."

Erza took on a thoughtful look. "That only causes more problems. Not that they should be our concern right now. If anything, we should just focus on keeping Lucy here. She might not like the idea of that very much considering she'll want to take a job soon so her rent can be paid."

"That might not be an issue as long as it's not far. In fact it may be beneficial to us to have Lucy out of town for a while. We might be able to draw them into the open that way." The old man turned towards the door just as Mirajane returned with the other Fairy Tail member. "We should be able to get somewhere now. If he's not willing to talk we still have Warren who can hear his every thought and even speak to him telepathically if needed. Let's get back to the interrogation."

The four of them approached the man once more, hoping that this time they will get somewhere.

* * *

"Are you really going to make this difficult?" Loke asked, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew she was only seventeen, but for the most part he assumed she would be more mature when it came to situations like this.

"I don't want to take the medicine. I'll be fine tomorrow," she repeated, sounding kind of muffled. "So, just stop trying to convince me because nothing you can say is going to work." Lucy pulled the covers down a little and saw him raise an eyebrow. She knew how silly it was to refuse to take something that could make her feel better nevertheless, her mind was made up.

Loke raised his hands up on defeat. "Fine, I won't force you to take it. You're the one who has to deal with the sickness, not me. But there was something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"What's that?" the blonde asked, sitting up more, relieved he was done trying to persuade her.

"Pretty much after everything that happened, Erza thought it would be better if you had someone with you at all times. You're probably not going to like the idea of having people watching you but that's all anyone can do to make sure that you don't get attacked again," Loke said. He placed his hands in his pockets, waiting to see how she would reply.

The teen frowned. "Of course I don't like it. It's hard enough trying to act like everything's normal when I know people are after me. I'd much rather focus on helping you, not worrying about those hooded guys."

She let out a tired sigh. Lucy hated the idea of everyone going out of their way to protect her. The last time something like this occurred, she couldn't do much of anything besides watch things play out from the sidelines. The mage had a better grasp on her magic now and wanted to help fight back if it comes down to it. She couldn't stand the thought of others getting hurt for her anymore.

Her concern was more focused on the lion spirit mainly because his magic was draining. It may be at a slow rate, however she didn't like the idea of putting Loke through anything remotely similar to what he had to deal with after Karen was killed. He was strong and would, in all possibility, pass it off as nothing but the blonde knew him better than to believe that.

"And I'd prefer to keep you safe," Loke told her indefinitely. He breathed out with a light smile. Her care for his wellbeing was greatly appreciated, giving him another reason to be glad she was his new key owner. The young Heartfilia was truly compassionate towards all her spirits. "I'm fine, so you don't have to worry. Even if I can return home soon, I'm not going anywhere until this is all figured out and I know you're out of harm's way for sure."

"You would need to rest," Lucy pointed out, feeling a slight pull on her heart from his words. "You're not up to full strength and you wouldn't be for a while. I could always force gate closure to make sure you'd have enough time to get your energy back. You wouldn't have to stay here the whole time, you know? I'd summon you if I was in trouble."

"I would actually like to see you try closing my gate," Loke said with a smirk. "If I didn't want to go back, I don't think you could do it. I have said many times how much stronger I've become since I met you and it's all thanks to our love."

That was the second time today he said something like that. It was getting harder and harder to deal with because she knew how real his feelings were. For that very reason, she felt worse about it. Here she was making him wait as she was trying to understand her own level of fondness for the lion spirit. He was being tremendously patient about it too. Ever since that night no questions have been asked.

There was just no time to figure anything out when so much was going on right now. Her mind clouded on where to begin. Their relationship meant a great deal to her and Lucy didn't want to make any rash decisions to prevent damaging it. She had to practically refrained herself from thinking about it.

Lucy crossed her arms and rested further back against her pillow. "Just because you can stay for long periods of time doesn't mean you should. You can't survive in my world and I can't in yours."

"I'd say forbidden love is more romantic, wouldn't you agree?" he asked. Loke knew what she pointed out that all too well. It was just another one of those things that made having a relationship with the young woman even more implausible. There were ways to work around it. On the other hand, there were far more other complications that had to be thought about.

"Even if I said yes, it's not easy when you're actually in that kind of position," the blonde replied. She felt her heart sink at her own words. Just because she hadn't made up her mind yet doesn't mean she hasn't thought about what it would be like to be with him. "It makes things contradicting and confusing." Before a reply from the spirit could be made, Lucy started sneezing again. She rubbed her nose and sniffled. "This is just so attractive," Lucy sarcastically said, drowning in her sorrows.

Regardless of the fact that he was slightly brought down by what she said, he still tried to make her feel better. "You're always beautiful to me."

"You're just saying that," Lucy said, feeling embarrassed again. She was always one for compliments but for some reason whenever Loke was the one saying them she felt a slight flutter in her chest. It was strange yet nice at the same time. "I look awful and we both know it."

"Your face is all red and your hair is a mess but you're still as pretty as ever." He smiled and watched her sink lower under her covers. It was simple to figure out she was trying to hide the blush coming to her cheeks.

The blonde closed her eyes momentarily. "I don't know why I bother trying. You're going to keep saying those kinds of things no matter what."

Lucy started to cough some more but this time it sounded a lot more violent. It had to be making her throat painfully raw. Loke breathed out heavily. He should have done this in the first place. "I'm getting the medicine."

"I don't want it!" she yelled out as he started walking away. Lucy hid under the blanket again, knowing it wasn't going to do anything useful.

* * *

**There will be more with the interrogation in the next chapter. Maybe they'll actually get something useful out of him. I'm still trying to make sense of Celestial Law, Loke is able to do so many things that other spirits can't. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to leave a review. **


	16. Taking a Job

**Thank you to all who have added this story to their favorites, followed, and/or left a review. I think I got more this week then I normally do. Here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. **

* * *

The guild was filled with its normal amount of chatter and packed liked always. Except most people where discussing what happened the other day, much to Lucy's displeasure. She didn't like the idea of being the talk of Fairy Tail when it was something like this. Their concern for her was appreciated, but it's not like she was seriously injured from the battle. Her sickness was gone and her ankle felt better too. Natsu, Gray, and Happy came out of the whole ordeal unscathed, which was to be expected from those three, overlooking the fact that the blue cat didn't do much at all.

Freed and Evergreen had returned from their job nearly minutes after Lucy and the rest of the team showed up. The young woman immediately took a seat next to Bickslow, while the green-haired man spoke to the Master. They received the notice about what was going on around the same time that Levy, Jet, and Droy did but couldn't hurry the mission.

The Letter Magic user stood next to the bar with Makarov, Levy, and Mirajane. Once everything was explained to him, he simply nodded his head. "Basically what you're saying is we have an unknown time limit then."

"Yes, and with everything going on lately we need this figured out as soon as possible," the barmaid said. "Loke seems to be holding up for now. Eventually too much of his magic will be drained and he will start fading again. If he can't return to the Celestial World before that takes place, I'm afraid we might lose him for good this time." She knew well enough how serious the situation has become.

"I've copied down the inscription and did as much research as I could possibly do," Levy explained, exhaustion lingering in her voice. A sigh escaped the moment after her hands were placed on her hips. "I just have the feeling that I'm missing something important."

"Between the two of us, I'm sure we can get this figured out," Freed told her, bringing his fingers to his chin. The Shadow Gear member was an expert when it came to those kinds of things, so for her to be having trouble it must be an old and complicated form of magic.

"I suggest you start right away," the older man said to them. "It might take a while to get some progress."

"Of course," Freed said immediately after. "But Master, there is something I want to talk to you about." The two of them walked off from the others before he continued. "On the way back to the guild, I decided to gather some more information on what's been going on lately. I asked around and it seems like those hooded men have been spotted in other places too. No one really knew what they were doing but if you ask me, I'd say it's suspicious. Maybe something more is going on. They have to want Lucy for a reason. Otherwise they wouldn't be going through all the trouble sending so many people after her."

"I believe you are right." Makarov took on a serious look and shook his head a little. Erza mentioned the same thing to him before. "What happened to Loke was a mistake. That spell wasn't meant for him. I'm hoping that while trying to get remove it, you can find out what its true purpose is."

"My Rune Magic can only do so much. Levy should be able to rewrite it after we study the symbols but like you said, it may take some time to figure everything out." Freed glanced over at the lion spirit before looking back down at the Master.

"While you two are doing that, I'll be sending Macao and Wakaba out to gather more information around town and a few more groups out searching. Gajeel is taking care of guarding the one we have downstairs, so I'm positive he won't be escaping anytime soon. I, on the other hand, may have to try getting in contact with the Council to see if they are willing to listen to what I have to say." The idea of conversing with them wasn't a fond one. They already had enough problems with Fairy Tail and didn't want anymore.

They soon separated, Freed going over to the table where Levy had everything spread out and Makarov back to the bar to discuss a few more things with Mirajane.

* * *

"Do you mind explaining to me why the Master thinks it's a good idea to take a job now of all times?" Loke asked Erza. "Lucy was just attacked yesterday. For all we know they could end up following us and try to grab her the second we're far enough away from Magnolia."

"It really doesn't make much sense to me either," Gray added, crossing his arms over his chest.

The armored mage understood their confusion; nevertheless she and Makarov already debated this the other day. "Lucy may not be in extreme danger right now, but if we don't do something about these guys soon, they might take more risky measures to kidnap her. During the interrogation we couldn't get much out of the man we caught. All we do know he's from a guild, probably an unofficial one."

"That means we'll have no way of knowing anything about them." The ice mage was really starting to get annoyed at the fact that they had no leads. The only thing they have is the spell placed on Loke and that island, which did them no good.

"The last time something like this happened, Lucy ended up being captured by Gajeel, regardless of having Reedus with her," the spirit reminded them, he still felt some fault for that one. If he came sooner and was at full strength, then perhaps things would have turned out differently. "We already know making sure she's with someone is the best way of keeping her safe but if they send a lot of people out at one time again, we might not be able to stop them. You couldn't get _anything else_ from him?"

"Warren said he was having a hard time getting a mental connection, which lead us to believe he specifically allowed himself to be caught," Erza continued to tell them. "By taking Lucy out of town, the Master is assuming they will try and make a move."

Gray was quickly able to piece together the plan. "And that's when more of them will be brought back here, right?"

"If we can prove to the Council that something is actually going on they might help us out. They aren't very willing to do us any favors right now so the more of them we have, the more information we can give them. If need be, Fairy Tail will take matters into their own hands, however we all know how disastrous that could turn out." She could easily recall the whole Eizenwald incident. A whole town was nearly destroyed and it was just a few of them there for that one.

"I'm not going to go against what the Master thinks, but are you sure this is a good idea?" Loke asked. He was already aware that the blonde needed to take a job for rent money, she complained enough about it for him to know, yet he felt like something was off.

"To be honest, I'm not all that certain. It seems to be the only option we have at the moment. While we're gone the Master is also going to get into contact with a few other guilds such as Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus to see if they heard anything," she mentioned.

"Those guys again," Gray said in complaint. They might have been able to work together when taking down the Oracion Seis and Nirvana but he was hoping the problem wasn't going to the extent of needing assistance from them. For now only communication was important though, Makarov would try his best not to include others into something they could handle.

Loke didn't have much of a problem with help if it came to that. But just hearing the name of the guild his former key owner was a part of brought back memories. Not to mention the fact that Hibiki was there. Loke left the old church before getting to apologize to the host member. The young man was Karen's boyfriend after all and his decisions lead her to an early grave by Angel's hands.

He shook off the thoughts, Lucy was his main concern and the past couldn't be changed. The spirit glimpsed over at the blonde, who was at the request board with Natsu and Happy. He was glad to see she was feeling better after last night. It was hard enough for him to get her to take the medicine in the first place, however as soon as he threatened to get Erza. She took it, yet gave his some attitude about it and whined a bit beforehand. It ended up holding down the worst of the symptoms until she fell asleep.

Loke turned back to the others and placed his hands in his pockets. All they had to do now was wait for a job to be selected, though with Lucy and Natsu bickering about which one to go on, it might take a while.

* * *

"Why do you always have to go with the ones that involve taking down a huge group of people?" Lucy asked, placing her hands on her hips. "Can't we do something easier? You got to choose the last one, let me pick this time."

"But Happy and I want an exciting mission. I can't get fired up for something boring," Natsu replied, still looking at the board. "Besides, we haven't done anything since we got back from the island. I'm ready for a big battle this round."

"Aye, we want to a job with a lot of fighting and maybe at a place that sells fish too," Happy said, laying on top of the dragon slayers head.

"You just fought yesterday," the blonde pointed out. She let out a sigh. Was it even worth it to try and reason with them? She stepped closer and started reading through some of the posters. If luck was on her side, she could find something that both of them would be good with, although he tended to be hard to satisfy when it came to this kind of thing.

There was a few that were immediately rejected. Locating and bringing in a group of escaped criminals, which would take a long time to complete. Another was all the way in Clover Town and a lot of travel would be needed so that wasn't even an option. The majority of them involved too much danger for her liking. Just as she was about to lose hope in finding a suitable job, one of them caught her eye.

"How about we do this one?" Lucy suggested, showing it to the fire dragon. "You'll get a battle or two like you want and in turn we rescue a kid that's being held for ransom. It says he's from one of those rich families that got into a bit of trouble. Apparently they only took him because the family refused to pay any money and now they don't have the means to get him back. The fee was raised too high."

"Sounds like a good enough reason to accept it to me," Natsu replied after hearing her out. He turned in the direction of the others and called out to them. "Hey, guys! We found one!"

"You do realize we have to take the train to get there, right?" Lucy questioned just to tease him.

"N-Never mind then," Natsu said, already starting to get sick from the thought. "Can't we do something that's in walking distance or you know, just travel there by foot?"

"Sorry, but it's not like it's going to kill you, besides you already agreed," the blonde said just as the others came over. She handed the paper to Erza and she read through it, nodding her head, approving of the job. The Master wanted her to make sure they didn't go too far away. Lucy looked around, noticing the sky dragon slayer wasn't around. "Has anyone seen Wendy?"

"I'm right here!" she yelled out, running through the doorway. "Sorry, I overslept and-" The young girl tripped before her sentence could be finished. Sitting up, she rubbed her head.

"I told you not to run," Carla said with a light scold detected in the her voice as Natsu helped the sky dragon up. "In any case, Wendy shouldn't use her healing magic for at least a few days. Getting rid of that cold Lucy had really drained her."

"You know, if we don't leave now, we'll end up missing the train," Gray reminded them now that everyone was there.

* * *

"We didn't even start moving yet and you're already sick?" Lucy asked. Natsu was slumped over in his seat, his face changing color. An answer was attempted but no words came out of his mouth. She let out a small sigh and leaned back. The compartment was kind of cramped with so many people, nonetheless the S-class wizard insisted they all sat together to discuss a plan.

As soon as they started moving Erza, Loke, and Gray glanced at one another. As far as they could tell no one had followed them. Just as a precaution, Makarov had some guild members go to the station earlier in the morning. For now they were in the clear, in spite of that, they still had to keep their guards up. The mission was the priority right now, but so was Lucy.

"When we arrive we should split up into groups of two," Erza started to say after some thought. "One group will take care of the guards and possible mages they have outside the building, while the other will sneak inside and get the boy without being spotted."

"Okay, but who's going to do what?" Gray asked, resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

"Wendy, Natsu, and I will take care of the battling. So you, Loke, and Lucy will have to handle the actual rescue." She knew well enough that the fire dragon would make too much noise and the blue-haired girl, although she disliked fighting, would be helpful with them because of her sky magic. And of course, Happy and Carla would stay with the first group.

Lucy was fine with that plan; she didn't count herself as strong as the others anyway. She had her spirits and Gray had his ice. The blonde was a bit concerned about Loke though. If he used his Regulus magic that would just drain him faster, on the other hand he has fought without it during those three years. He became adept with combat in general, she witnessed it herself when he saved her from those guys in Balsam Village.

"That sounds easy enough to me," Loke said. "Although, I'm going to assume the room he's being held in will be guarded too. They probably already know about the job assignment issued by the family and are most likely expecting mages from a guild."

"That shouldn't be too hard for us to deal with," the blonde said. "I highly doubt there's going to be many there."

"What do we do if something goes wrong?" Wendy asked, needless to say their team ended up doing more harm than good half the time. Missions were always completed but the towns were nearly destroyed in the process.

"Obviously, we'd still grab the kid." Gray crossed his arms and looked down at the sky dragon slayer. "If it's only a simple kidnapping, there shouldn't be that many people. And wherever they're hiding out would be somewhere that's out of the way."

"Aye, but that won't stop you guys from breaking things," Happy said right after the ice mage.

Carla shook her head disapprovingly at what was pretty much the truth. "You would think you guys would have some self-control by now."

As the others continued to talk, besides Natsu since he really couldn't right now, Lucy leaned further back. She could feel how close she was to Loke at the moment. Even some of the fur from the hood of his green jacket was tickling her face. She would have moved over at least a little bit, but the dragon slayer was on the other side of her and he was looking worse than he was before.

The celestial mage breathed out heavily. Going out on a job again was good for a change but there were a lot of things on her mind. She knew at some point Loke deserved a genuine answer to his question about how she felt about him. Lucy was sincere when she said she didn't know and even if that remained true, it just didn't feel right to leave it at that.

Saying no would avoid many problems and part of her felt like that should be her reply. It just wouldn't be fair to him or herself if she wasn't being honest. She couldn't lie just to avoid things. On the other hand, she couldn't say yes either. The wizard knew better than to get involved with one of her spirits, besides she wasn't even sure if she wanted to be more than friends. The question remained whether or not her feelings were strong enough push past the consequences and possible trouble they would cause if they were to get involved.

"Lucy, are you alright? You looked a little spaced out," Loke said after noticing how quite she was being.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she quickly responded. "Are you sure that Levy and Freed will be able to do anything without you there?" Lucy forgot to ask him that before leaving. It's conceivable that his presences may be necessary since Freed didn't get the chance to see the actual markings.

"I checked with Levy when we went to the guild," Loke told her. "She should have everything they need. I do feel kind of bad for leaving them to do all the work but I couldn't let you go on a job without me. If I can't be summoned, I might as well be by your side at all times."

"I have other spirits I can call, you know?" She did appreciate the fact that he wanted to come along just to protect her and seeing as she could use her keys with him out, there were no problems with that.

"A prince never abandons his princess," Loke remarked. He was aware that she didn't have a whip with her, so she couldn't do much on her own. Virgo could always get her another though. "I would have insisted on coming along anyway."

"I know that, which is why I didn't see the point in arguing with you about it." Lucy shrugged her shoulders. "I just don't want you overdoing it with your magic, that's all. You shouldn't use it if you don't have to."

"And I won't." Unless Lucy was in danger, that is. Then it wasn't even a question. Gray would be with them and they worked together plenty of times in the past for Loke to know how many people he could fight off at one time. However, he didn't doubt the Heartfilia's ability to hold her own. He was merely following their contract. Not that he required it as an incentive.

Lucy knew how reckless Loke could be when it came to her, although normally he was able to keep his mind focused. There was no being sent back to the Celestial World if he got hurt, meaning he had to be careful. His injuries would have to be dealt with just like theirs until Wendy had enough energy to heal again. She understood that he didn't care all that much about getting hurt when it came down to it, which was the problem.

"Are we… there yet?" Natsu asked, sounding horrible. He sunk down to the floor in agony.

"We'll be there shortly," Erza told him, as Gray rolled his eyes. "When we get into town we're going to have to see the clients. The boy's parents should be able to fill in the gaps about what happened and tell us more about the people who kidnapped their son."

"Hopefully we can get this done quickly. He's probably been stuck there for a while," the ice mage added.

"I feel bad for him," Wendy mentioned, remembering when she and Happy were taken by Brain. She didn't spend a lot of time in the cave they brought her to, thanks to Natsu, but it was still a scary experience. They didn't hurt her because her magic was required to resurrect Jellal; yet the people they were going after now most likely didn't have a reason not to wound him.

"We all do and that's why we're going in the first place," Carla told her. The cat understood the sky maiden's feelings on the matter, recalling the same thing she was.

When the train halted, Happy tapped Natsu on the shoulder. "We stopped moving so you can get up now." The dragon slayer tended to not notice things like that right away or even continued to felt sick regardless of the seize in motion.

"All right!" he shouted, jumping up from the ground. "Now I'm all fired up! Let's go!"

"Natsu, wait," Lucy yelled out, however he could already be seen outside the window. "I hate when he runs off ahead like that. He doesn't even know where the clients are." The others nodded in agreement before heading onto the platform as well.

"I guess we have to go catch up with that idiot," Gray commented. He rubbed the back of his head while glancing around. "Anyone see what direction he went in?"

"We should head there to our destination, I'm sure Natsu will find the right place soon enough," Erza decided, shaking her head a bit. With that said she took put the paper and read through it another time before leading them through the town. Many people were out crowding the streets, however it wasn't hard to find the house they were looking for. The family was rich, only a few were in this area, so their home was easy to spot.

* * *

**There wasn't much progress but I'm trying to build up to something so you're just going to have to be patient. I will make sure to get back to the person they caught, seeing as I didn't have much time to put it in this chapter. When it comes to writing Lucy and Loke's relationship, I try to take everything I already know about them into consideration. I can't really see them jumping into being a couple without having some problems or discussing things. (as we all know Lucy tends to freak out about the whole idea) They will get to that point eventually; it will just take some time. **


	17. Infiltrate

**I had some writers block this week, it seems to be happening a lot lately, anyway I hope you enjoy chapter 17. I also wanted to thank all the people who take the time to review. I like knowing what you guys think, it's very helpful. **

* * *

Upon reaching the client's house, Lucy was reminded of her old home. Of course, her father's estate was bigger and obviously cost more money, but the lifestyles of the rich were always remotely similar. A sad smile came to her lips as the memories passed through her mind. Jude was at Love and Lucky now, their household, although still standing, was abandoned. Most of their things were taken away, while the others simply gathered dust.

The blonde shook her head. There was no point in thinking about the life she ran from. Their mission should be her only concern; still it was a part of her, the only section her mother was in so forgetting wasn't something that could be done.

Lucy was snapped out of her thoughts the moment Erza knocked on the door. A man, which they all presumed worked for the family, answered and led them inside to the main sitting room, all except for Natsu, seeing as he was running around town or something.

"Not that we don't appreciate the hospitality," Erza started to say as they all sat down. "But we need you to tell us anything you can about the people who took your son. The sooner we head out, the faster he'll be back home safely."

The older man nodded his head and gave a quick introduction of himself and his wife. "I'm Lance and this is Reina," he said, gesturing to the woman next to him. "Our son, Zane, was kidnapped by one of my business rivals. Let's just say I owe him a lot of money that I couldn't give him right away. They would have taken him to their home on the other side of town."

Gray reclined back on the sofa and arched a brow. "You're not being very specific, you know? I guess all the details don't really matter. Could you give us an estimate of how many people would be guarding the place?"

"We're not really sure," Reina replied. "We've sent people to negotiate with them, but we never asked about that."

"What can you tell us about the kidnappers specifically?" Lucy asked. It's possible that this whole thing could be a trap if they knew about the job request, however if they were just after the money they wouldn't have wasted the time.

"They wouldn't hurt Zane if that's what you're implying," Lance responded. "There's really not much to tell. They had him there for a few days already and we just want him back home. He's only ten years old."

Wendy frowned slightly at this. He was so young. It wasn't right for a child to be put in danger because of their parents' bad decisions.

Loke didn't say anything as they continued talking, merely listening to what was said and taking everything into consideration. By the time the discussion was over, they pretty much had everything they would need to find the place as well as the quickest way to get there. The only problem was they were down a dragon slayer. The spirit had to wonder if all he ever did was do things on impulse.

"Happy, go look for Natsu and tell him where to meet us," Erza instructed once they were outside. "We'll have to take care of this without him for now. I honestly don't know what he was thinking running off on his own like that." The red-haired mage placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head disapprovingly.

"What if he gets into some kind of trouble?" Wendy asked, concerned for him.

Gray crossed his arms and let out a noticeable sight. "He can handle himself. Besides, if he got into a fight, I'm sure we'd notice. That idiot would probably end up spewing flames in the air."

"You mean like that?" The blonde pointed in the direction behind him and sure enough they saw exactly what he said they would. Lucy knew he could be reckless, but this was just ridiculous. "He's going to end up hurting someone if he's not careful."

"Like I said, no self-control," Carla mentioned with a small huff.

"We should get going," Loke told the others. "Natsu's close by so if Happy leaves to get him now, he should be able to catch up with us soon. We don't have the luxury of waiting around."

"Aye, I'll get him as fast as I can," the blue exceed announced prior to taking off.

The group headed to the other side of town. It was less crowded, making for a faster trip. Coming closer to their destination, they stopped once the building was in sight. It appeared just like any of the others surrounding it. The amounts of people outside were noticeable and most likely taken as extra security for the family in the public eye.

Erza signaled for Lucy's group to start their part of the plan. She and Wendy would wait until Natsu showed up, but would make their move if something didn't go as intended. Gray, Loke, and Lucy went around back, searching for a way inside. Fortunately one of the entrances was free from any guards. Quickly they entered the structure, the ice mage sculpting a key to open the locked door.

"Where do you think they'd be keeping him?" the blonde whispered as they turned into a hallway. This place reminded her of the first actual job request she and Natsu took. Everlue's mansion was easier to get around though. This one would definitely have people walking around, looking for intruders.

"I'm not sure. Maybe it would be easier if we split up. That way we can cover more ground," Gray suggested.

"We probably shouldn't," Loke mentioned while glancing around the corner. "It's better to stay in a group when doing this sort of thing. Besides, this mansion is huge; we'll have no way of knowing who found Zane or when to leave."

"It's going to take forever to find him," the ice mage said, running his hand through his black hair. "There has to be a faster way than checking every room."

The celestial wizard brought her hand to her chin in thought for a moment, earlier to an idea coming to mind. "I know. Gemini can help. If we get one of the guards, they can transform into him and tell us exactly where he is. The only tricky thing would be grabbing one without alerting the rest of them."

"We should focus on finding one of them first then," Loke said, before moving down the long passage. The other two followed behind only to cease movement by the next bend that led into a different room.

When talking could be heard, Loke pulled Lucy to the side of the wall, seeing as she would have been noticed if he hadn't. He made sure to keep his back against it as well, trying to listen to their conversation. "What's-" the blonde was suddenly cut off when he placed his hand over her mouth, leaving the rest of her question to be mumbled between his fingers. He motioned her to stay quite. Understanding, she nodded her head and he removed his hand.

Lucy noticed he still had his arm near her in an almost a protective way, she supposed it was just a natural thing for him to do. They fought together many times and even though the mage made it clear that she wanted to work as a team, he was always watching out for her and would come between her and an attack.

The blonde stood behind the spirit, peering over his shoulder and resting her fingers on her keys. If anything, she wanted to make sure she had easy access to her spirits. Gray was standing in back of her, making an effort to see as well, yet had no luck being behind both of them. Lucy inched her way out a little bit further to get a better view of what was going on. The fair-haired girl could feel Loke watching her from the corner of his eyes, most likely to make sure she didn't move too far out. She tried to listen to what was being said, but could barely hear a thing. Within the next minute they walked off.

"What did they say?" Gray asked once they were gone.

"Nothing specific about where we can find him, however they mentioned something about upstairs," he told them, still speaking quietly. "I guess we should go check it out, seeing as it's the only thing we have to go off of."

"Hold on," the ice mage said, bringing up his hand. "Do you guys hear that? It sounds like footsteps heading in our direction. Just stay here. I'll go check it out." He rushed off before either of them could stop him.

* * *

"How many more were we able to capture?" Mirajane asked just as Makarov entered the main room in the guild. Levy and Freed were currently busy going over the amount of work the blue-haired girl had done so far, while most of the groups sent out to search were now returning. It seemed like they had no luck in locating any of them at all. The barmaid looked down at the Master as he spoke.

"Two more. I get the feeling the others escaped though. Elfman and Lisanna spotted a few before they managed to get to the station and brought them back here a while ago. We've been trying to get them to talk ever since," the old man explained.

The S-class mage let out a small sigh. It was rare for things to be peaceful, yet she still wasn't quite used to something so complex happening. Normally they knew what they were dealing with and as of now, they had no leads to why Lucy was being targeted. Her usual smile fell from her face after a moment. "Did any of them say something useful?"

Makarov folded his hands behind his back. "The only thing Warren could get out of them was a few things about the island. We pretty much figured they only stationed there because the Council couldn't get to them, but there might be more to it than that."

"Too bad it's unnamed; we might have been able to find some clues about why they want Lucy if we knew more about that place." She went behind the bar and started cleaning a few of the glasses.

"I would send more people out, but it's a risky move. An unofficial guild is still a guild and we already know they have a lot of members. There could be a select few that are extremely powerful, therefore going out of our way to deal with them isn't the brightest idea. We need more information," he mentioned while looking around the room.

Mira paused and followed his eyes to the two script mages. A few others were surrounding the table as well, attempting to be helpful. "There has to be a connection somewhere. We just need to find out where everything comes together."

"I don't think those three are going to open up any more unless we press them further." The Master drew his focus back to the young woman. "I was able to contact Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus a little while ago. They haven't heard about anything strange going on lately, however they both offered assistance if it came to that. For now, I think it would be best to manage things on our own."

"As long as Freed and Levy continue to work, I'm sure they can figure it out soon." She was always the one to be more optimistic about these kinds of things, but that didn't stop the strange ominous feeling she was getting in the pit of her stomach.

The guild master brought his hand to his chin. "Once we know what the spell originally was for, we can work on figuring out who has the ability to perform that kind of magic and trace it to whoever's in charge. From there we'd plan the best course of action."

He too felt like something was off. Lucy's father no longer had any money, so it's not like they would want to use her for that. She was a celestial wizard, which were rare considering only so many Gate Keys existed. Makarov supposed the magic she possessed could be the reason the blonde was being pursued. The only problem is finding out why someone would need it.

Perhaps it was time to delve into that concept and get Freed and Levy to look into it. For all he knew, taking the time to investigate the matter could lead them to figuring out the spell sooner. Loke's magic was draining at a quicker pace then it normally would, meaning it would be beneficial to figure out what ties it all together sooner than later.

* * *

Lucy let out a sigh and took a step away from the lion spirit. It was a bit awkward being alone with him right now. It seemed like that was a more common feeling when around him lately.

She was able to keep a smile on her face whenever she spoke to him. His actions were now, from her new perspective, showing more than just friendship or offhanded flirting like she originally considered. More often than not, he found some way to be near the mage and if he wasn't close then his eyes were on her. She would, every now and again, catch him watching her. Lucy would always be the one who would turn away and avoid the gaze, while he evidently held his hazel orbs on her. It was nothing she wasn't used to. It just felt different than before.

She took another deep breath and forced herself not to think about any of that. They were on a mission, she had to focus on the rescue… but with him so close, her mind just kept drifting. It wasn't supposed to be this hard dealing with the fact that he was in love with her. Now wouldn't be the right time to say anything, yet every thought and memory, especially the one from a few nights ago, made her heart sink.

It just didn't feel right to _not know_ anymore. She should be able to make up her mind on what she wanted. It was simple, relationship with him or not. But the ramifications of starting something between them rested heavily on her, making it hard to know what the right decision was.

Still, she didn't want him to think she was ignoring his admission of love either. The pressure was getting to her, shifting her views and opinions between the two options.

After hearing Lucy's second exhale, Loke glanced at her, wondering if something was wrong. She appeared to be fine before Gray left. "Lucy," he said, attempting to get her attention. He saw the slight stiffening of her shoulders as his voice registered in her head.

The wizard was slow to turn around, trying to fight the nervousness bound to sound in her voice when she spoke. Her mouth opened after a slight pause, an effort to force down the racing thoughts and implications passing through her mind. "Yeah?"

He narrowed his gaze at her for a moment, taking in her sudden change of disposition. "You seem to be… distracted," he said, for lack of a better word. The same thing happened on the train. "Is something bothering you?"

"No, no, don't worry about it. It's nothing," Lucy quickly replied, waving her hands somewhat sporadically. "I was just wondering when Gray would be coming back, that's all." She forced a smile, which he took notice to right away. "He's been gone for a while. Do you think he's okay?"

"Gray knows what he's doing," Loke told her, as he pushed up his shades. He could call her out for lying, nevertheless now just wasn't the time to deal with those types of conversations. She would obviously deny and argue back.

"I know, but I can still be worried. He ran off without even letting us say anything. He knows how important it to get this job done as soon as possible and from the noises outside we can pretty much assume the others are fighting already. We don't have much time left before they figure out we're inside." Lucy took another look down the direction he ran off in, surprised to see him on his way back, dragging along one of the guys working here.

"It took a while, but I managed to get this one," the ice mage said with some tiredness slipping from his voice.

"How did you knock him out without alerting the others lurking about?" Loke asked, crossing his arms. He was sure they would have heard something if they started a fight.

"Just made him trip on some ice," Gray said, shrugging his shoulders. "For a guard he's not very bright. I prepared an ice floor before getting his attention. When he attempted to come after me, he slipped and basically did my work for me."

"At least we have one of them." Lucy took out a key and pointed it outward. "Open Gate of the Twins, Gemini!" Two small blue creatures appeared in a puff of smoke. Gemi and Mini danced around, making various poses waiting to be told what to do. "Could you guys transform into this guy?" Circling Lucy happily, they agreed. Looking at the man, they used their copy magic and altered flawlessly into him. The Celestial Wizard knew she only had a few minutes so she wasted no time. "All we need to know is exactly where they're keeping a boy named Zane."

It took a moment before they received an answer. "On the next floor in the furthest room to the left. Six people are stationed there."

The blonde nodded her head. "That doesn't seem too bad," she replied, looking at her two team members. She turned back around and waved her key up. "Thanks guys." They changed back to normal before she closed their gate. "I guess we have a destination."

"Well, let's not waste any time then," Gray said before taking the lead. After making sure the next room was clear, they headed up the steps. The three of them were able to evade all the guards walking around, seeing as most of them were outside most likely already in a battle with the rest of Team Natsu. A few loud shouts could be heard from outside, so they had to get this done quickly.

Without needing to confirm a plan with one another, they ran over and made the first move. Gray created an ice wall to prevent any of them from getting away and Loke took a battle stance.

Lucy grabbed one of her keys. "Open Gate of the Scorpion, Scorpio!" A man with red and white hair along with a large gun for a tail appeared before her. He had his middle and ring fingers back while keeping his index and little fingers extended, mimicking the pincer claws of a scorpion. "Can you help Gray and Loke for me? I need to do something."

"Don't worry, Leo and I got this," he announced, nodding his head in the lion spirit's direction.

"Okay, good luck," Lucy replied to all three of them. Knowing she had to be the one to get Zane, since they could pretty much take care of the fighting part on their own, she entered the room he was supposed to be in. It was fairly empty, only a few items crowded here and there. After getting a good look around, she spotted him with his hands tied together and unconscious, but least he didn't look hurt.

Kneeling down next to the boy, the blonde untied his restraints and let out a sigh of relief. As much as she wanted to go see how they were doing against those guys, she couldn't bring herself to leave the room, knowing Zane could wake up at any moment.

A few minutes passed and the noises died down, leading her to believe they were finished, Lucy noticed Scorpio's key glow for a brief second, letting her know he returned to the Celestial Spirit World. She glanced up when the two of them entered the room, somewhat tired and breathing slightly heavy.

"I'm glad we can finally get out of here. The sooner we get him back home, the better I'll feel." Being kidnapped because of family was something she could relate to. Although their situations were different, Lucy could still recall the feeling of waking up in a strange place and not having a clue of what just happened. Zane must have gone through something similar. Her thoughts were abruptly changed when a tremble was felt. "What's going on? I think the whole building just shook."

"My guess would be Natsu and Erza went a bit overboard again. If someone got Erza angry there's no telling what she's capable of. Combined we're pretty much looking at one big catastrophe and a high bill for the Master." Gray came over to the brown-eyed teen and lifted the kid up. "We need to get out of here before they end up causing more damage." Right after he spoke a loud crash was heard, sounding like something or maybe even someone was hit right into the building. Loke's head impulsively snapped in Lucy's direction. She made a reflexive movement to cover her face, but other than that she was alright.

The young Heartfilia stood up and walked further back, wondering how she ever survived being on such a violent team for so long. They would surely be the death of her one of these days. The only thing she cared about right now was finishing the job and then going home for some well needed rest. A few spirits were summoned, yet she felt drained. It typically took longer for that to happen though.

"Lucy, look out," Gray yelled, unable to do much of anything with Zane in his arms.

The blonde twisted her head up, seeing a crack forming on the ceiling ready to come down any second. Her legs froze in place and the next thing she knew a few huge pieces were coming down at her. Her eyes grew wide prior to feeling her back hit the ground. Everything happened so fast it took a moment before she realized what just transpired.

Her brown orbs focused on the pile of rubble on the floor, which certainly would have injured her severely, previous to glancing up at Loke. He was still looking in the direction she was beforehand, nevertheless her face quickly turned a bright red from the position they were in. As grateful as she was for the rescue, he was really close to her. The mage could already felt her heart pounding loudly against her chest and her body tensing up.

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**I haven't left off on a cliffhanger in a while, so I figure why not. I didn't focus much on the fighting, if you read my previous author notes you already know I dislike writing them, but you can pretty much assume what happened. At least some progress is being made and for those of you wondering when Lucy's actually going to make up her mind about her feelings for Loke, you won't have to wait too much longer. Although, things might turn out differently than you'd expect. **


	18. Facing Reality

**Welcome to another chapter of my story. I didn't have writer's block this week, so I finished it faster than my last one, which is good because work was killing me. Anyway, enjoy. **

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Lucy's arms were stiff at her side as she peered up at Loke. She was relieved that he saved her from being crushed, but this wasn't the best time to be in the middle of a staring contest with one another. It wasn't done intentionally by either of them and the blonde couldn't find her voice to ask him to move. A moment seemed like an hour, time had no concept in her current state of mind. Even her muscles refused to react.

"Hey, are you guys okay?" Gray yelled over to them. He still had Zane in his arms and backed up against the wall in means of trying to protect the boy. He was sure a few more hits like that from the battle outside would do more than damage a few rooms.

Loke managed to break away from her brown orbs to reply. "We're alright. It's not safe here, get outside."

He gritted his teeth at the thought of leaving them behind. "Alright, just don't take too long and try not to run into anyone one on your way out," the ice mage replied. He knew how important it was to get the child out of harm's way.

After Gray left the room a few things fell down from another bang. The lion spirit was sure he didn't want to know how extreme those three were taking the battle. Certainly a few lowly skilled guards didn't take much to beat, clearly shown by their brief encounter. Still, Natsu would easily destroy the place, accidentally of course, and Erza, well she could do just as much harm, maybe more if provoked.

Loke quickly stood up and pulled Lucy to her feet, his protective side overpowering his want to stay close to her. It was his priority to protect the teen and would do so without getting distracted.

"We need to leave as well," Loke informed her. When he turned to the celestial mage, she still looked a bit dazed from what happened. He couldn't pinpoint if it was the almost getting hit by a good amount of rubble or the position they were just in. "Are you okay?"

It took a moment to realize something was said to her. "I'm fine, but you're right. We should go. I trust that Gray can keep Zane safe and once we get out of here, the sooner we can get him home."

Loke understood her concern for the kid, retrieving him was the whole purpose of the job, yet she should be focusing on herself. They were pressed with time and he undoubtedly didn't want the building to come crashing down on them, on the off chance that it might. It was times like these his stature as Leo the Lion came to mind. He could endure more than other spirits and considering their current situation, it would be beneficial to use his Regulus magic but of course he couldn't.

He turned his head to look out the window. "I guess this place was more heavily guarded than we thought. Let's not waste any more time, we don't want to be the reason they're waiting."

"What if we run into more people?" Lucy asked as they left the room.

"I'll handle it," he simply stated in a slight cocky tone. "I can tell you already used up a lot of your magic and I'm sure you could summon another spirit, but it wouldn't be a very wise thing to do right now."

Sometimes she wondered if he just wanted to show off in front of her, nonetheless the mage understood. If she was drained moving, even standing would be difficult. "The owner of this house is not going to be pleased when he sees what happened."

"You're team's very destructive," Loke pointed out with a small chuckle. He's heard all the stories of their former missions, well except for the recent ones. The spirit wasn't at the guild enough to know. "Natsu managed to destroy Everlue's mansion so I wouldn't put it past him to do the same now, even if he is on the outside."

"Yeah, but all that matters to him is that we completed the job." She was well aware that the dragon slayer was determined and even if he wasn't the most cautious person, he still had a deep sense of care towards his team members. In most case scenarios Natsu was the one everyone ended up relying on. His power was immense and would continue to grow. Erza already took note of that detail.

They turned down the hallway and proceeded down the stairs. Lucy was glad that the exit would be coming up soon, but the moment people came into view her stomach dropped. Loke had rushed in front of her without a second thought. Sitting back and doing nothing just wasn't her style, it didn't feel right to have him fight alone.

The blonde took out her keys regardless of what he said. "Open Gate of the Archer, Sagittarius!" The horse costume man appeared with his normal solute, awaiting instruction. "Can you do me a favor and help Loke out? We can't waste any time."

"Of course, my lady," he replied, nocking an arrow prior to aiming and releasing it.

Loke already acknowledged his presence before the projectile whizzed past him. The orange-haired man hadn't done this much fighting since the island battle. He was surprised how rapidly his energy was depleting. Magic was still flowing throughout him, yet his body felt a bit strained despite the fact that mere combat was all he was doing.

It didn't take more than five minutes to defeat them, considering most of them took off before the battle was through. "If there's this many people here, I'm getting the feeling the family owes them a lot of money," Loke said just as Lucy closed the gate, deciding it was best not to say anything about her calling out another spirit, as she was surprisingly doing alright.

"Me too and I'm sure the others are thinking the same thing. I guess we'll have to ask them about it when we get back." Lucy sighed a bit at this; however they did say they weren't sure how many guards were here.

Loke nodded his head and they started moving again. Once a few more turns were made and a slight converse of which direction to go in was through, the door they came in was in view. Getting out was certainly a welcoming thought in both their minds.

Before either of them could reach the exit, another tremor was felt and Loke was quick to react. His arms wrapped around Lucy's stomach, pulling her to his chest just before they would have been hit. A gasp escaped her lips the second contact was made, causing her to nearly trip over her own two feet from the sudden tug. Her eyes remained tightly pressed shut until the noises died down. Afterwards she blinked a few times to regain focus.

A trail of goose bumps traveled down her skin as his breath tickled the back of her neck. The blonde's heart was thumping loudly as she compulsively grabbed on to his securely locked arms. She felt safe with him and oddly enough Lucy was reminded of the same sense of security she experienced initially when he saved her from Bickslow's attack, when he made his first appearance as Leo.

She and Loke have been this close several times and despite the feelings fostering inside of her a sense of unease filled her system. She was becoming sensitive to everything he did. Saving her was one thing, but what she felt every time he made any sort of interaction by touch was so different than it had been before.

Lucy almost hesitated on the thought she's been trying to push away. The Heartfilia could only refute her growing affection for him so much. Still, there was some sadness forming deep inside from the recognition.

Loke let out a heavy breath. That was the second time she almost got hit and he might not be that fast enough if there happens to be another tremor, fortunately the way out was close. The spirit pushed down all the effects caused simply by her proximity. It was becoming difficult to deal with the warmth that spread throughout his body and every tempting thought that came to mind.

Realizing his hands lingered around her for far too long; he released his hold. Loke stepped back swiftly, placing much needed distance between the two of them. He glanced at her face, seeing the redness on her cheeks and the questioning gaze she sent him. He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to think of what to say. She was constantly invading his thoughts and clouding his concentration, but he normally had a better hold on himself, lately he had been lacking any sort of the word. Her safety would always be taken care of but his feelings were erratic at best.

He adverted his hazel eyes, taking a moment to straighten out his jacket in attempt to compose himself. It was something he became quite used to doing when around her these past few days. There really was no need to question why it was becoming harder to control such tantalizing notions towards the blonde beauty no matter how out of reach she was. Without an acceptance of love, he could do nothing nor did he think it was right short of receiving one. Flirting was about all he could do.

"Loke," Lucy said with some uncertainty in her tone, seeing as he wasn't doing anything. The mage could still feel her cheeks tingling; however she decided to ignore it for now. "Shouldn't we get going?"

He looked at her once again, watching as her head tilted slightly to the side as she studied him. A cute pout was on her face and he had to practically constrain himself from saying something he knew he shouldn't. His words would certainly come out more engaging then they ought to. She was purely too attractive for her own good. "Right, let's go."

He hastily made his way to the door, making sure she was following, and forced himself not to look back at her until they were out of the wrecked building. There they saw the others. Erza was scolding Natsu, who was sitting on the ground with a small grimace on his face. Wendy was doing her best to heal Zane of the minor injuries he received, in spite of her drainage of magic. Happy and Carla stood idly as Gray used his forearm to wipe his brow.

The redhead turned her attention towards them as soon as they came into view. Glad to see they were both alright. "Now that we're all here, we should head back. I'm sure Zane will wake up soon and I'd rather have him do that in his own home."

"What exactly happened out here?" Lucy asked, pointing to the group of people on the ground and the indents on the walls of the large structure.

"Well," Wendy began to say with some nervous laughter. "After Happy got Natsu, he immediately started fighting even though we tried to stop him. Then someone said something that got Erza mad and then she joined in. A lot more people showed up, but as you can tell, they weren't much of a problem."

With that said, Gray came over and lifted the child up again so they could start heading back. They had quite a bit of walking ahead of them and preferred to get it over with so they could take a break and relax sooner.

* * *

The majority of Team Natsu sat down on the couch inside the client's home. Zane was happily reunited with his parents, who allowed them to stay for a while and rest until they were ready to leave. Lucy was glad to be compensated, knowing she could now pay her rent as long as they weren't charged for damage. The blonde peered over at Loke as Wendy attempted to help him with the wounds on his back. Apparently he was hit by some of the fallen rubble when he was protecting her.

Her eyes surfaced the floor before deciding to talk to him. Fortunately, the sky maiden was finished and left as soon as she came over. She stayed quite, waiting as he pulled his shirt over his head. "You know, I told you to be careful," she said in a minor joking manner. "Are you going to be alright?"

Lucy's regret and concern was plain to see in her eyes. He picked up on the way her shoulders slumped slightly when she spoke. "Yeah, it doesn't hurt that bad. Wendy did the best she could for now."

"I wanted to thank you for saving me before, technically it was more than once," she offered a smile prior to her features fading to a more serious look. "But you know I hate it when you shield me. That's not how I want you and the others to be treated. Like I've said before, I don't want you getting hurt for me."

The deep orange-haired man smirked a bit before nodding his head. "I know and that's why I do it. I want to keep you safe; therefore I do whatever is necessary. If it makes you feel better, just think of it as a shield of love," he remarked, realigning his blue-tinted shades.

Without much control a slight giggle escaped her lips. "Shield of love? That's a new one." She placed her hand over her mouth to suppress her little bit of laughter.

Happy that he could make her laugh after the amount of stress continuously wedging its way between them, he chuckled a tad too. His full attention was placed on the young woman standing before him. Their connection and deep bond, which he equated it too much more than mere friendship despite her past refusals to recognize it as such, was the most important thing for him to keep.

Loke knew the others were too busy talking to notice, so he took hold of her hand, taking a moment to brush his thumb across her soft skin. His eyes fixated on her face, which he wasn't surprised to see a bit disordered due to his sudden action. "I know I've told you this a while ago, but I'd do anything for you."

The soft lull of his voice washed over her. Why was he looking at her that way? Like his eyes were contemplating her every action, making it difficult to draw out her voice. If he would just quit caring so much things would be easier for her. The look he gave her was so gentle; she felt that part of her heart melt at the sentiment. She desperately pushed those feelings aside. He was in love with her. Loke already shown and proven that.

"I-I know," Lucy replied with a stutter. "And I appreciate that more than you realize." At this point she didn't even try pulling her fingers away, keeping them there gave her some comfort and after everything that's all she wanted.

"I'm aware, trust me. You wouldn't have done what you did for me if you didn't care and we hardly knew each other at the time. It didn't matter how much I told you it was okay to let me disappear or to stop trying to open my gate because you wouldn't listen. You're too stubborn." He glanced over at their team members for a second before taking a step closer to her.

The blonde felt her muscles strain as he drew near. The little amount of tension left the wizards face as her lips parted, luring his attention there. She took notice of his stare shift down to her mouth, growing more aware that they were in this position the night he asked what her feelings were towards him. The same enticements glistened, but she knew he wouldn't just lean down and kiss her. Their friends were a mere few feet away, apparently paying no mind to them.

Lucy felt stupid for putting herself in this situation again, she should have known better. Her gaze fell to their hands and after taking a few deep breaths she gathered her strength and looked into his deep hazel orbs once more. "This really isn't the right time to be doing this sort of thing."

Her voice was enough to bring his attention back up to her. Nodding his head, he felt her small digits slip from his, slowing the instant before their fingertips could leave one another. Almost regrettably she drew her hand back, holding it in her own as he ran his though his messy mane of auburn hair.

"You know I can't help myself when it comes to you," he told her in a minor tease to combat the sinking feeling in his heart. Nevertheless what she said was true. They were at someone else's house.

Lucy took a step away from him to regain the original amount of space between them when she came over. "Be that as it may," she replied, arching a brow at his sudden change in tone. "You can't just… do that." The blonde crossed her arms and tightened her hold on herself, realizing that her voice came out a bit strained.

Loke let out a sigh. He relaxed his tightly held fist, holding a pensive look. "You're right. The last thing I want to do is make things more uncomfortable between us."

The end of his sentence came out so low Lucy barely heard it. A proper discussion was needed, but she couldn't unload her emotional problems on him; especially when she wasn't entirely sure what was going on. She bit down on her lip, uncertain of what to do. Force herself to act like everything was normal? Was that the correct answer?

"Anyway, I just wanted to come over and see if you were okay and now that I know you are, I'll be going then." The blonde slipped passed him only to feel Loke take hold of her wrist before she could escape him completely. Her looked became skeptical rather quickly. "Is something wrong?"

Loke opened his mouth to speak but promptly shut it a second later. He stood there loosely clutching her for a while before turning his head from view. "It's nothing, never mind."

He did the same thing a while back when he decided not to say anything about being a celestial spirit. Veering from her was a dead giveaway that he wanted to say something, but she couldn't figure out the incentive for him to keep it to himself when he's been so open. Why was he suddenly pushing her away? There was no reason to. Lucy settled in place again. "The trust we share isn't just meant for teamwork during battles. You can tell me whatever you want, I'll listen."

"It's not all that important right now." He faced her again to see a worried glaze residing in her brown orbs. "Come on, Lucy, don't give me that look," he told her, placing his hand on her head and ruffling her hair a bit. Perhaps he was purposely not letting her in, but he couldn't stand making her fret over him. Lucy had enough of her own problems to deal with already.

The teen pressed her eyes closed until he stopped. With a frown, she attempted to fix her blonde locks only to make it worse. His sweetness turned to flirting then changed to distance. She hated when he did sort of thing. The wizard raised her arms up. "I honestly don't know what's going through your mind half the time. You do all these crazy things that just don't make much sense."

"What can I say?" Loke replied with a shrug before a small smile curved up. "I guess when it comes to you I tend not to think straight."

Her eyes blinked wide for a moment, not expecting him to say something like that so seriously. Staring unseeing into his own orbs, she lost all her thoughts as the full weight of what he'd said hit her. A bright blush lit up her cheeks, causing her to tilt her head down. Now she was really lost for words.

After clearing her throat, Lucy regained her ability to speak, feeling too flustered to continue this discussion. "Just try and be more careful from now on when fighting." She walked away from him, holding down the heaviness of the conversation.

A hundred questions ran through Loke's mind as he watched her leave and return to the others, but one was more prevalent than the rest. He couldn't figure out exactly what was going on with her lately. It seemed like Lucy was trying to hold something back and possibly avoid whatever inner conflict it was she was having. All the lion spirit could do is wait for her to say something, pressing the issue would surely make her close up.

The blonde sat herself back down on the sofa next to Natsu, rubbing her temples in frustration. It was more directed at herself than anyone else. Things were so much simpler before. If only they could have stayed that way.

She noticed it didn't take long for Loke to start talking to Gray, probably in need of a distraction much like herself, but she just wasn't all that interested in the chats going on around her when he kept infiltrating her train of thought. Finally she just gave in and glanced over at him, letting a heavy breath out of her lungs.

Lucy allowed a small sad smile take form, seeing the way he laughed at something the ice mage said. She couldn't shake the emotions any longer. There really was no denying her feelings towards him anymore. A crush was obviously formed a while ago, that she will admit, yet she refused to acknowledge it as anything more, too scared to use the word love so soon.

As much as she wanted to go over there and say something to him, she stopped herself. Her mind automatically drifted back to the many difficulties she was trying to escape. A spirit and a human, it just wasn't right. She knew it and deep down, he did too. Her gaze fell from him for a moment and a slight pain registered in her chest. When they returned to Magnolia the blonde had to make sure they talked, although she wasn't all that sure what to say right now. Could she possibly bring herself to turn him down or would she give into her feelings?

"Lucy," Natsu said, waving his hand in front of her face. "I've been trying to get your attention for five minutes already. What's so interesting about Loke that you have to keep looking over at him?"

Her face grew a deeper crimson, aware that the lion spirit and the others heard what the dragon slayer asked. "I wasn't staring at him," Lucy harshly said back in embarrassment. She covered her face with her hands, unable to withstand all the eyes on her. Lucy let out a groan, wishing they'd just leave already.

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**I hope you liked the chapter. Please review, they are much appreciated. My goal is to get 100 by the end, so it would be nice if you took the time to leave a comment. (I'm basically halfway there already) Next chapter Lucy will finally talk to Loke and maybe she'll even confess her feelings for him. I won't give away anything though. You're just going to have to wait until next week.**


	19. Not Meant To Be

**Welcome to chapter 19. I'm sure you guys are wondering what's going to happen (at least I hope you are) so I won't write out a long author note. I spent a while working on this one and put a lot of thought into what I wanted to make happen. I hope the week wait was worth it.**

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Lucy was always a chatty and outspoken girl, so when she said nothing the entire train ride and walk back to the apartment building, Loke found himself concerned and watching her more intently than he would normally. The blonde spent most of the time looking much in thought, staring out the window, not realizing when she was being talked to. He wanted to know what was distracting her so much, but he wasn't sure if he should ask.

As soon as they entered her room, the light switch was turned on and the mage muttered something he couldn't really make out. The spirit stood with his hands in his pockets, following her with his eyes until she settled to sitting on the bed, only to jump up a second later, to which he arched an eyebrow at.

Lucy let out a groan and pulled the covers back, revealing a sleeping dragon slayer. "Natsu, what are you doing in my bed?! And how did you get here before us? We left at the same time."

He lifted himself up some, looking at her with half closed eyes. "Morning, Luce," Natsu greeted with a short wave before sinking onto the mattress, immediately falling back asleep.

"The sun hasn't even set yet," she replied with a sigh. She definitely wasn't in the mood to deal with this right now. All the blonde wanted to do was talk to Loke. After debating about what to do the whole trip back, her mind was made up. With him around, it would be too difficult to say anything about that particular topic, seeing as he had no idea what was going on between them.

Happy rose up a second later tired looking as well. "Aye, but we miss sleeping here. Natsu said we could beat you guys back if I flew him and we did." The blue cat let out a yawn and rested next to the dragon slayer.

Lucy took hold of Natsu's scarf in attempt to pull the fire mage off the bed, but he hardly budged. "Why do you two just take it upon yourselves to have a sleepover without my permission? I don't want to sleep on the floor again. You have your own home, go take a nap there or something," she complained, while trying to get them up. After a few more attempts were made, she finally caved and placed her hands on her hips. "I don't know why I bother."

The mage turned around swiftly, meeting Loke's compelling gaze. Lucy's fingers knitted together as her nerves were getting the best of her. A jumpy feeling settled its way into her stomach, forcing her to look in another direction. Trying to recollect everything she was going to say was too hard with him looking at her like that. He knew something wasn't right, she could tell from the way he was fixated on her.

Eventually she forced herself to speak, her voice a bit quiet. "Loke, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about. I know it's getting late, but could we take a walk?"

It was obvious she didn't want to say anything with Natsu and Happy around, even if they were sound asleep. Loke nodded his head, noticing the serious and somewhat uneasiness in her tone. He followed her out the door, getting hit with the chilly air as soon as they left the apartment complex. His pace was kept even with hers as Lucy continuously watched her feet rather than paying attention to where they were heading.

"Are we going anyplace specific?" the lion asked, trying to ease his way into a conversation. The teen wanted to discuss something with him, yet she wasn't saying anything at all. She truly was an enigma, never exceptionally easy to figure out.

A small amount of steps were taken before she replied. "I didn't really have a place in mind, but I guess we can go to the park since we're heading in that direction." Lucy kept her mouth closed after, drowning in the silence that plagued their walk. Each stride forward brought upon a weird feeling that pulled at her heart almost causing her to want to turn back around and head home.

The swaying of branches and rustling of loosely hung leaves alerted Lucy that they reached their destination. A few paces were made inward, to which she noticed they were the only ones in the area.

The sun was beginning to set, showering a golden orange color across the sky. In Loke's eyes that only highlighted Lucy's beauty as the rays bounced off her skin and tinged her hair a pretty color. Even her brown orbs became more vibrant from the glistening shades of yellow. The sight was truly breathtaking.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lucy asked, swinging her stare to the side. An even gaze and soft smile from him was all it took to fluster her. It was hard to force her eyes away from such a loving look; it simply tore at her heartstrings.

"I can't help it. You're beautiful," Loke replied. He watched as a pink hue formed on her cheeks, adding additional perfection to the young woman standing before him. He dug the heel of his shoe into the dirt before asking her the question he's been meaning to since they left. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Right, the reason I asked you to come with me…" The blonde's voice was airy as she contemplated on how to get the words out correctly.

He studied her across the short distance they placed themselves at, catching every sway of her blonde hair as the wind caught each strand in its gentle breeze. Her head lowered slightly, the focus of her eyes attentively downward, and her hands clenched so tightly to the end of her skirt her knuckles were turning white. She bit back on her lip ever so lightly, letting it slip from her teeth.

Seeing her like this in front of him, maybe even because of him, forced another appeal of affection out of his mouth before he could even think of the words. "I love you, Lucy." The wizard snapped her head up when he spoke. Her chocolate orbs took on a perturbed glint at the soft spoken confession as if it was the first time he said it to her. Loke kept deep hazel eyes locked onto hers, transfixed by the many swirling emotions.

He took a step closer to her, but retreated when she flinched back. The spirit couldn't figure out what brought upon the strange behavior possessing her. She seemed to be reluctant to carry on.

"Yesterday you said our trust is not just for the battlefield," he reminded her, moving his shades up the slightest bit. "It comes with everything. You can say whatever it is you have to." From her reaction, he was getting a sinking feeling in his stomach. Her news could be something she knew he didn't want to hear; perhaps that's why she was being so guarded.

Honestly, Lucy felt horrible for what she was about to say, so much she couldn't get her mouth to open to pronounce the words. The emotional pain was slowly forming to that of physical. Her fingers released the hem of her flowing skirt and pressed against the palm of her hands. The memories and promises he made came shooting through her mind. He was her valiant knight and loved her with all his heart. She could barely hold back the tears starting to form a glossy cover over her vision.

"So much has happened since we met," Lucy said, finally bringing herself to continue. "I never thought that overly flirtatious playboy you were when we first met could change my life so much." A pause was taken after a forceful gust of wind blew past, causing the water she desperately tried to hold flow freely down her cheeks. "The truth is, I've been trying so hard not to accept something that I should have realized a long time ago. Loke, I have feelings for you but…"

He would have been ecstatic to hear that statement come from her mouth, yet that one word stopped any means of happiness at the moment. There always had to be something jamming its way between them. "If you feel the same way then what could possibly be the problem?"

Lucy could almost hear the hurt in his voice as she attempted to wipe away the streaks of wetness running along her face. She had to swallow the lump in her throat just to get herself to keep going. After all, there was no turning back now. "I think you already know the answer to why we can't be together."

Loke could see the struggle she was making to stay calm. It was obvious to him now why she was acting so peculiar before. His fingers ran through his messy windblown hair. "Celestial Law," he stated, drawing out his voice in a murmur.

"I don't want you getting into any kind of trouble because of me," she admitted, while shifting her shoulders up and down in an uneasy manner.

A long breath emptied from his lungs. "I don't need you to protect me, Lucy" His eyes closed for a second, allowing himself some time to recollect. Loke saw the way she took hold of her arms and gripped her fingers tightly to herself, trying to prevent her shaking hands to be noticed, but he was very well aware of it. Neither anger nor irritation spread over his emotions, only anguish fluttered through his eyes. "What about my feelings?"

"You're making it seem like it was an easy decision," Lucy muttered. "I thought about it for so long and I really can't see anything between us working out when our relationship would practically be against your rules. They have to be followed by both of us."

"I know." The spirit threw his head back, looking at the tiny specs of light starting to appear as the sun continued to lower behind the horizon. "But I can't stop myself from loving you. I can't simply make the feeling disappear because of some ridiculous regulation."

"The Spirit King banished you for something that wasn't even your fault. If he found out you and I were together, things wouldn't end well. We have no way of knowing how harsh he would be," Lucy explained as composed as she could.

"A few dates here and there wouldn't bother him," Loke expressed, trying to reason with her. If he ever wanted something to work out between them, they both needed to be on the same page with one another, but she was so concerned on that one aspect.

"That's just it though," Lucy said with a sigh. Her head twisted to the side, swaying her blonde locks. "As much as I would like to give the whole couple thing a try, I can't. Not with so much at stake. Besides, dates every once in a while wouldn't be the same. It would just…" She let her voice drift, having a hard time expressing how she felt. On top of that, she couldn't even bring herself to look in his eyes anymore.

"Just what?" Loke asked, pressing the subject. The moment her shoulders hunched down, he lowered his voice. "I know I can't force you to change your mind, but I deserve a better reason than the law preventing us from being together."

He wished she would just stop pushing him away. What was the point of hiding all her emotions? Loke tilted his head, realizing just how hard this was for her. Lucy admitted she had feelings for him, so brushing them aside like this was probably far from easy.

"I want to be with someone knowing someday we're going to get married and have a family," Lucy told him. Her lip started to tremor a little, yet she kept speaking. "I don't want to jump into something that can't last. Even if we were to date secretly, we both know people would find out eventually. It would hurt too much when we're ripped apart and I couldn't bear putting myself, especially you, through any more pain. If we were going to be in a relationship, I actually want to be with you."

The wizard did her best to get rid of the water running down her cheeks. A pain vibrated in his chest, aware he caused her to cry. He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to calm her down. To say he wasn't good dealing with tears was an understatement, specifically when it came to Lucy. A smile should be on her face rather than a frown.

"You deserve all those things… I just can't give them to you." It saddened him to admit it, but the facts were accurate. If he was ever at the point of wanting a family, a child born half spirit and human would have a hard time surviving, although the idea of settling down was nice in a strangely wonderful way. Never before had he actually wanted a stable relationship.

Lucy's head slowly turned towards him after he said those words. She never expected him to say that. Loke's gaze was casted to the side; his whole body seemed to be slumped downward, reflecting the pain he felt inside. If only she could have held her tongue, but really, what would that have done? Prolong the much needed discussion, setting him up for more disappointment.

The blonde brushed some of her hair back, enduring her stinging eyes. The silence circling around them was intolerable. Neither of them knew what to say or even to do at this point, yet there was so many unexpressed thoughts.

Loke shifted his weight from one side to another, trailing the distance between them with his hazel eyes. The only thing needed to come face to face with her was one step. However he lacked the ability to do as he normally would. Trying anything to close the gap just to be near her didn't seem like something he should do, despite the growing desire he felt to reach out and touch her face and rid her cheeks of any tears.

A question started brewing in the back of his mind. It was something he shouldn't ask but needed to know. Ever so carefully, he grasped her hands, causing their eyes to meet. "Lucy, I want to know something," he stated with a sense of curiosity. "If I was a normal human like you… would you change your mind? Would you ever consider accepting me as your boyfriend?"

His request came out nearly too hopeful for her to handle. "W-What?" Lucy replied, overcome by the inquiry.

"What if I wasn't a celestial spirit?" He repeated, maintaining his stare. "Would you give me a chance then or still turn me down?" Loke felt her fingers pressing down on his as if her small digits would slip from his any second.

The blonde looked away. It wasn't all that long ago she was going to decline Natsu when she thought he wanted to date her. With the lion spirit, saying the same thing just didn't feel right, but she knew teammates becoming a couple wasn't the smartest move. "Can we not do this?"

"Lucy, please," he practically begged. Her answer would probably make her rejection at least a bit easier to handle whether it was negative or positive.

Her shoulders relaxed slightly. He said before he would love her no matter what and Lucy believed him. If he gave his word, she would always take it for its value. The blonde trusted him. Loke would never lie about something like that. Her brown orbs shifted away again and his grip was steadily held as a way of letting her know he was able to take the answer for whatever it was.

"I don't know if I could say yes even if I wanted to… It would have been the same if Natsu or Gray confessed they had feelings for me," she muttered with difficulty.

"So I guess no matter what, I never had a chance to be with you." Loke couldn't stop the sad undertones from leaking out with his voice. "You know no matter what I still-"

"Please, Loke, just don't say it," Lucy interrupted, not wanting to hear the words. Her heart was already breaking and if he said he loved her one more time, she was afraid it would just shatter in half.

Her fingers were drawn back to hide her expression, but only for a short time. A second later they dropped to her side. Unable to meet his eyes, she continued to keep her head lowered, her blonde hair forming a sort of protective covering over her face. "Do...do you hate me?" Lucy's head hung low as she whispered her question to him. Loke watched as her shoulders hunched upward and the way her eyes shut, trying to prevent herself from crying any more than she already has. While he was still hurt by her decision the question was a very simple one for him to answer.

Lucy didn't even notice him move until her chin was against his shoulder. Her body automatically stiffened the instant contact was made, but slowly she began to relax into his hold. As unexpected as the hug was, she couldn't bring herself to push him away, it was the same when he first wrapped his arms around her so long ago. Lucy buried herself further in his embrace, wanting nothing more than to just stay there.

"Don't say that. I could never hate you," Loke quietly told her.

In response to his own betraying thoughts his hands wrapped around her frame, holding her close to him. Even though the air was cold he could feel the warmth of her skin against him. He gave in just a bit further, lowering his head until his nose was pressed against the side of her neck. The moment she leaned her weight onto his chest, his heart rate sped up. It was the first time she had ever returned a gesture he made. Loke took a shuddering breath, one he couldn't hide in their position. Her hands smoothed up his back and she mumbled something incomprehensible against him.

The spirit wasn't aware of how long their entanglement lasted, but he could hardly bring himself to put a distance between them. Her fingers gripped the back of his shirt as he pulled away just a little bit to look into her flushed face. Slowly, her chocolate orbs rose up and met with his and he couldn't turn from the look she wore. Her face curved up him in a small angle, her long eyelashes teasing him with every blink, eyes brimming with innocence. He knew then and there, if she ever set out to seduce him, he would be a lost man.

Loke drew his arm back to move some of the stray strands of hair blowing in her face before relaxing his fingers on her bare arm, quickly adding more goose bumps to her chilled skin. His head lowered, glancing at her pink lips.

"Can I just…" His voice drifted. A long held aspiration was swirling in his hazel orbs, too much for him to force away any longer.

Lucy was aware of what he wanted to ask and to his surprise she dipped her head down, giving him a single nod. How could she not when he was enticing her with his gentle touches and soft tone of voice? Still, it was something she couldn't stop herself from wanting any more than he could.

Gradually, Loke brought his lips onto hers. The movement was so slow and careful, her breath was automatically held. The little bit of pressure placed on her mouth was a weird feeling at first, but soon she found herself falling into it. She was easily lost in the moment and returned the kiss. Savoring every second of the small amount of intimacy shared between them.

Her lips were so soft he could barely contain himself, but he had to keep himself in check. The wait, however, was definitely worth it. The feel of her smooth skin, the slight brushing of her blonde hair on his face, the sensation of her light touches grazing his arm, was too much to handle at one time. Loke continued to run his lips across hers until she opened her mouth for him, allowing entry. Lucy's small fingers tangling in his messy mane of hair were driving him crazy. He wrapped his arms around her, his hand stroking the small of her back in a heated motion.

Loke almost gave into the impulses racking his brain, but stopped himself. Kissing was something new to the wizard and he couldn't take advantage of that fact, besides it wasn't going to change the decision she already made. He pulled away from the slow, searing kiss, despite his lips burning for more. He looked down into her brown eyes, feeling the swell of conflicting emotions deep inside of him.

Lucy's breathing was a bit shaky and her mouth tingled from what was more than just a simple kiss like she expected. The heat on her cheeks shown in a profound red and her mind was clouded from what happened.

Just as Loke was about to say something, she leaned up against him again, muttering a few words that sounded like an apology. Their feelings would have to be put to the side. Lucy didn't want to take the risk and he respected that. Although right now, she wished she could take back what was said. The blonde wanted more than anything to be with him, yet she couldn't jeopardize Loke. In her mind, she knew it was wrong to fall for one of her spirits, comprehending nothing would work out.

The lion spirit sighed into her hair. There was no doubt he cared enough about her to go through the trials they would inevitably face, but endangering Lucy was out of the question. Maybe all of this was for the best.

The Spirit King would keep them apart if he ever found out about an existing relationship and being kept away from the woman he loved was too excruciating to even think about. The laws, no matter how unfair they could be, were still the laws and unlike the last time, he doubted Lucy could change his mind about this one.

An overwhelming sense of loss was felt flowing through him as he stood there stroking through her soft locks, trying anything to comfort the girl. Her silent tears were felt seeping through his shirt and he wanted nothing more than to just make everything better. The heavy guilt she carried for the forced rejection was agonizingly apparent.

All he knew the moment he let go, reality would set in. Loke could still flirt with her if he wanted, but it would feel different. He loved Lucy for so long and in the back of his mind, he always knew Celestial Law prevented any means of a future together, not to mention the fact he was immortal also caused issues, yet there was always some hope in working past it all.

If all he could do was be there for Lucy whenever she needed him, then that's all he could ask for. She meant everything to him and Loke could never bring himself to be angry with her when all she was doing was trying to protect him. Forbidden love never had a happy ending, but perhaps someday in the future, if she was ever willing to give him a chance, they could change that.

* * *

**It was a little challenging writing this chapter. Their relationship would have a lot of complications and I felt like they should be addressed. I really had to think how Lucy would handle the situation. She turned him down but things can always change. I still have more plans for the rest of the story. They finally kissed though. Please review and let me know what you think. **


	20. Acceptance

**I hope you enjoy this chapter and just a quick reminder that this is set before the S-class trial.**

* * *

Lucy sat at the bar swirling the liquid in her cup around, not really in the mood to do anything. Her kiss with Loke was still plaguing her mind. No matter how hard she tried, the lion spirit wouldn't leave her thoughts. Her back arched as she leaned further onto the surface of the counter, kicking her legs out a few times, the heel of her shoes made a clanking sound every time they hit the chair. The blonde placed her chin on her arms, letting out a long breath.

Once they returned to her apartment last night, not a lot was said between them. The morning was full of awkward silences which was why she wanted to come to the guild, although at this point being around the others wasn't doing much for her.

Her blonde hair slid from behind her ears as she tilted her head in perusal, glancing over at Loke. He had started out talking with Cana and then somehow his fan club of girls showed up, most likely made up of his past girlfriends. She could tell his flirting was halfhearted, as if he wasn't putting in any effort at all. Since they came up to him, she knew he wouldn't feel right shooing them away, but the mere sight still irritated her. Jealousy was becoming a much hated emotion.

Lucy's gaze was shifted away, which left her staring at the wall. A pout took over her mouth as her chin dug into her arm. She tried her best to ignore a mocking voice that sounded from deep inside of her, but whenever his tone reached her ears, it became too difficult to do. The question of if she made the right decision kept coming up. As well as if it was even right to kiss him the way she had. Nothing made sense anymore.

A groan reverberated from her throat. What was the point of hanging around here? All it did was cause a sickening feeling in her stomach every time she looked over at those women practically fawning all over him. He wouldn't like it if a bunch of guys started talking to her, so why didn't he just make up some kind of excuse to leave?

Her fingers tightened together. The more she let herself think about what happened yesterday or focused on what he was doing now, the worse off she was going to be, therefore concentrating on something else was necessary. However, nothing came to mind, causing the need to bang her forehead against the table a few times just to release some of the frustration.

"Is something wrong, Lucy?" Mirajane asked, coming up to the mage, breaking her from the daydream like state she was in. "You look a little down." She glimpsed over to see what, or more precisely who, she had been watching a few minutes ago. Noticing the downward angle on her lips, she frowned as well.

"I'm fine," Lucy replied in a strained tone. Letting out another breath, she straightened her position and crossed her arms, letting her shoulders hunch forward. After receiving a concerned look from the young woman, the blonde caved a little. "Actually, no I'm not. I really don't want to talk about it though." The mage took a sip of her drink before placing the cup back down. As hungry as she was right now, nothing was going to agree with her stomach.

"The reason you're upset has to do with Loke, right?" the barmaid asked, receiving no answer from the girl. The only thing Lucy did was sink down in her seat. "You two have grown pretty close to each other, haven't you? I hardly see you without him by your side."

"Yeah, we're close but I'm not really sure what difference that makes," Lucy remarked, attempting to make it seem like nothing was going on. Despite herself, she looked back at the lion spirit again, watching as the four girls laughed at something he said. Her lips drew inward and she briskly spun her head back down. Her vision was getting blurred as tears started to prick her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was cry over something so silly.

Blinking the water back, the blonde hoped her distress wasn't detected. Her head lowered a bit more, letting the loosely hanging strands of hair to fall in front of her face. Her fingers tightly curled closer to the palm of her hand, nails lightly scraping against the exposed skin of her thigh from the short length of her skirt.

"Did something happen between you two?" the S-class mage asked softly. She noticed them missing each other's glances. Loke took quick peeks over at the celestial wizard just as she turned from him. The suspicion grew when she didn't answer right away.

"No," she lied with a small squeak in her voice. Lucy shifted around on her seat, trying to avoid looking at the wizard. Mirajane always had an easy time reading her. "Everything is completely normal between us." The blonde rested onto the counter another time, moving her finger around in a small circle. "I don't know what to do anymore." Her voice came out quietly, as if she was muttering to herself.

Lucy heard the sound of footsteps coming over but didn't know who it was joining them until a voice was heard "Maybe you need a drink?" Cana stated, putting her half full cup down.

"I'm not really in the mood. Besides, it's the afternoon," Lucy replied with a sigh. The celestial mage wasn't a big drinker herself, she rarely felt the need to consume an alcoholic beverage unlike the brunette who got drunk just about every day.

"More for me then." Cana took a long sip prior to turning towards the disordered young woman. She pulled back her long curls, letting them fall down her back before actually speaking. "Instead of doing the whole glancing back and forth thing you and Loke were doing _all morning_, just go over there and speak to him. It's driving me nuts."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Lucy stuttered, attempting to hide the pink hue forming on her cheeks. "I don't have anything to say to Loke, either way he's kind of busy with his fan club."

The card user shrugged her shoulders in an uncaring like way. "How about I put it this way? First choice, you walk over there and have a nice friendly chat about whatever it is you want to say. Second option, I'll just shove you two in a closet. Then you'll have no other option but to talk. Unless you want to do something else in there that's entirely up to you though."

"Cana!" Lucy flushed a deep red. "You can't just say things like that. What if someone heard you?" She glanced over at Mira, who wore a nervous smile, then back at the brunette.

"Wouldn't bother me," she replied. The mage was normally carefree talking about that kind of stuff, others would say a little too lighthearted at times. "I'd be more than happy to help you get rid of those girls for you. I can't take their constant high pitched voices, they make a hangover harder to deal with than it should be. I think they're afraid of me so it won't take much to scare them off. So what's it going to be then?"

Lucy narrowed her eyes, trying to tell if she was bluffing or not. Despite the fact that Cana was blunt with just about everything she said, the blonde was hoping she was just kidding this time. "You wouldn't really do that, would you?"

A smirk trailed up her lips. "Want to find out?"

The Heartfilia sighed, dropping her head in defeat. "Fine, I'll go over there and talk to him, but like I said before, I don't have anything to say." At least not something she could add from last night. "Don't worry about getting rid of those women, I'm sure they won't be a problem. There's no need to make a scene."

"That's too bad, I was kind of looking forward to it," Cana said as Lucy walked away. She scanned the guild before settling down onto the bar. "Did you happen to see where Gildarts headed off to? He was just here a moment ago."

"I think Natsu mentioned something about hanging out with him for a while," Mirajane replied after some thought. "If you think about it, Gildarts sort of filled the role of his father, when he's here that is. Lisanna would always talk about the things they did together like play catch and battle each other, even though Natsu never stood a chance. It's a nice to see that side of him, don't you agree?"

"Yeah… sure," the brunette answered. She didn't mind the fact that he and the dragon slayer grew close. What bothered her was not being able to tell him that she was his daughter, but every time she tried the words just wouldn't come out.

"Why are you asking?" Mira wondered. Her head tilted to the side, watching as her look became unreadable.

"No reason, just curious." Cana brushed the topic aside and went back to drinking; it was the only thing that was going to make her forget about him for now. Sooner or later Gildarts would be sent off on another long mission. Telling him how they were related was her only reason for joining Fairy Tail and if Cana couldn't get herself to inform him soon she would need to set up some kind of time limit. Otherwise leaving the guild and overlooking the whole thing was her only option.

* * *

Lucy tensed up a bit as she walked over to Loke. A sparing glance was thrown back towards the brunette, who merely waved her forward with a few flicks of her hand. The blonde couldn't figure out what Cana was expecting to happen. Perhaps the spirit said something to her beforehand, although she doubted he'd go into much detail about their conversation last night… at least she hoped he wouldn't have. The idea of having others finding out simply embarrassed her, especially since it was no one's business but their own.

Her pace slowed a considerable amount when she got closer. The wizard was trying to avoid having to talk with him for a little while; however she didn't expect Cana to do such a thing. Between her and Mirajane, Lucy was fighting a losing battle. A low exhale escaped her lips just as Loke noticed her approaching. A small smile was given and he excused himself from his conversation.

Lucy offered a short greeting before brushing her bangs back. "I guess your old girlfriends couldn't stay away for long." Knitting her fingers together, she bit back on her lower lip, finding it hard to speak with him.

"I'd much rather be talking to you," he replied. He relaxed his hand at his side, wondering why she came over. It was obvious from this morning that Lucy was feeling uncomfortable around him.

Lucy drew in a breath, attempting to calm her nerves, which wasn't an easy thing for her to do. "Cana could tell something was going on, she's pretty good at picking up on that kind of thing. I wasn't exactly doing the best job at hiding how I felt though. She actually threatened to shove us in a closet if I didn't come over here to talk to you. It's kind of silly thinking about how she would manage to do it."

"Really?" the spirit questioned with some interest. "Maybe you should have let her, it could have been fun." A small chuckle sounded and Lucy puffed out her cheeks a bit at his remark, shaking her head a moment later.

He was trying to make her laugh, but she couldn't be so carefree about what happened. It hurt whenever she though back and despite how Loke was acting, she knew he was good at concealing how he felt when around others.

She picked up on how his eyes dropped a second later. Loke was doing the same thing all morning and it made her feel all weird inside. It was the emotion of guilt weighing down on her. He always tried to spare her of his feelings, but this time it was different. Their conversation, everything that was said… just thinking back to it Lucy could sense the down casting atmosphere around them.

Even though she told him they couldn't be together that didn't stop the effects he had on her every time he was close by. Her heart still raced, her stomach was in knots, and she couldn't get her muddled mind to connect with her mouth to say what she wanted. She grasped her own hand and held onto it securely. This wasn't what she wanted. This wasn't how things were supposed to be.

"I'm sorry things are still like this," Lucy mumbled. She couldn't stop herself from apologizing. Her head tilted downward. The blonde needed to leave, she had to get away from him regardless her legs protested any movement. They were too stiff to move.

He wasn't all that surprised by what she said. "I already told you it's okay." Loke's voice came out softly. He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, her eyes grew wide the second contact was made.

"No, it's not." She shook her head and drew back from his touch. "It hasn't even been a full day and I know you're not alright. You keep acting like you are around everyone, but I can see past that. It's all my fault you're like this. I'm not used to dealing with this kind of thing. I never had a boyfriend and I don't know what it's like to be in love with someone. All I know is that things are different between us now."

"They don't have to be. I know they are right now, but just give it some time." It's true that he wanted to be with her more than anything and he couldn't lie, being rejected wasn't easy, however he hated how she kept blaming herself. Lucy's reasons were ones that he shouldn't have ignored. She was just trying to be sensible and save them from going through the issues that would only separate them in the end.

The Heartfilia truly couldn't fathom his reasons for acting that way. Why wasn't he mad at her, angry, or yelling? Why did he have to be so understanding about the whole thing? It's wrong for them to be together. She didn't even know if things would have worked out between them, yet she didn't want to care about the small details.

The mage shifted uncomfortably. "How do you know? What if things never get back to normal?" Part of her didn't think things could ever feel as simple as they were before.

Loke didn't say anything, all he did was run his fingers through his hair before placing his hands in his pockets. He wasn't all that sure how to answer her because he knew it might take a while to be at the same place again.

"I can't just make how I feel about you disappear," Lucy expressed quietly. Her heart sank a little bit more. "Maybe it would have been better if you never loved me. Then none of this would be happening." She turned form the confused look he made after her statement and walked away too quickly for him to reach out and stop her.

"Lucy, wait." Loke called out to her, but he was quickly surrounded again as soon as she left.

The blonde avoided all eye contact as she rushed out of the guild. Once outside, she rested her back against the side of the building, the coldness of the wall sent a rush of shivers up her spine. She sunk to the ground and placed her hands on her knees. Acting like this was so unlike her. When it came to liking someone else, she always responded to it a tad strangely since she wasn't used to receiving affection.

This time Lucy actually realized what her heart was trying to tell her. Celestial Law forbids relationships so Lucy kept pushing how she felt aside. She didn't want to believe any feelings existed for him because of all the complications, but it didn't really matter now.

A few minutes passed by, the only sound being the wind whipping past. The door eventually opened but her mind didn't register the sound. Lucy was too lost in her own thoughts to notice what was going on.

A humorless laugh slipped from her mouth. "This is so stupid," she scolded to herself. Tears had once more filled her eyes; the urge to give in and just break down crying was great but she couldn't allow them to flow.

"What's stupid?" Loke fixated his gaze on her, however no reply was given. The spirit sat down next to her. She raised her knees higher, resting her head and turning her face away from him. A moment of silence passed before he spoke again. "Why would you say something like that? I can't even imagine living in a world where I didn't love you."

Her breath caught painfully in her chest, her words stuck in her throat. She had to take a few intakes of air before being able to speak. "I just don't understand how you can keep saying those kinds of things to me," Lucy managed get out in a jaded tone. She twisted her head a little, getting a look at his profile as he stared ahead of where they sat. "I really don't deserve it." Her voice was somewhat muffled this time. Her chin rested between her knees and crossed arms, covering the lower part of her mouth. There was a saddened look in her brown orbs that she just couldn't hold back.

"You shouldn't think so little of yourself, Lucy." There was a slight frown pulling down on his handsome features. She deserved so much more than any man could give her. "I know I've always been the one expressing how I feel about you, but I honestly never thought you'd feel the same, regardless of how hopeful I was."

"You're annoyingly too charming for your own good," the mage muttered prior to hiding the rest of her face. Her blonde hair draped across her shoulders just as the wind settled down. "You're returning home as soon as Levy and Freed figure that spell out and then we won't be able to see each other often. It's going to be weird not having you around anymore."

Loke turned to see her huddled together. "Just because we can't be together the way we want to be doesn't mean everything has to change. I'm still your celestial spirit, I'm not going anywhere. You can summon me whenever you want. I wouldn't mind. I wanted it that way from the beginning, remember?"

Lucy lifted her head up a little bit more to see him. "How could I forget? Your flirting was constant." She drew her eyes from him and peered out into the distance. "But we both can't act like this isn't tearing us up inside. It hasn't even been twenty-four hours and look at us, we can hardly hold a conversation without getting back on this topic."

There was a small section of her that wanted to just forget about all the problems they'd run into. Lucy never felt the need to have a boyfriend before in spite of liking the idea. After spending so much time with Loke and getting to know him more, she couldn't stop herself from falling for him, it was inevitable. Even if all she felt was a crush, who's to say it wouldn't develop into something more if given the chance? The blonde only had a small inkling of what love was like from all the books she's read, but the real thing would probably be indescribable.

"I guess it really can't be helped," Loke admitted in a low voice. He hung his shoulders loosely against the hard surface of the guild behind them. His stare was no longer fixated on the girl beside him; rather he scanned the area. People could be seen walking around, going on with their normal lives, other than that not much else was happening.

Lucy brought her feet together, wiggling her toes inside her shoes. "I can't even imagine how you must feel right now."

"What do you mean?" The spirit raised a brow and curved his head back. She was starting to confuse him. Why was Lucy so concerned about how he felt? She was obviously dealing with some remorse for what she decided, but he didn't want her to dwell on her choice. It was rightfully made after all.

"You've been trying to get me to go on a date with you the moment I walked into the guild, overlooking the time you spent running away from me. And even though you tell me that you're honestly in love with me, I turned you down… again." Her voice flattened a bit at the end.

"Don't worry about it," he replied, waving it off as nothing. A smile replaced his passive expression. "When two people are meant to be together, they find a way to make it work."

Lucy straightened up and made a small huffing sound. "You keep telling me not to bother with it but you're ignoring my actual point." Lucy's chin hit her knees another time and her voice came out softer than before. "If I'm hurting inside, then you must be too. So please, stop telling me what you think I need to hear."

Loke let out a small sigh. He wasn't used to talking to her like this. Lucy would always brush the things he said to the side, but now he couldn't deny what's changed between them. It's possible that he pressed his feeling on her too much. How could he hold back his affection though? The young Heartfilia was everything he ever wanted. A few women have caught his attention in the past, however it was never to this degree.

His fingers grazed the pebbled road. He knew Lucy disliked people trying to make her feel when the situation clearly wasn't fixable. She could effortlessly call him out for not being truthful and had every right to do so. He became accustomed to bottling up his problems during those three years, so it wasn't easy expressing how he felt but with the celestial mage, he could hardly stop himself from opening up to her, for the most part anyway. Now all he was trying to do was spare her of any more regret, yet it seemed to have a downing effect on her.

Loke let out a heavy breath from his lungs and concentrated on the ground. "You're right, I'm not okay." His voice drew out despondently. He wanted to say more, no he needed to, but the words fell from his mind. If the harshness of Celestial Law didn't exist, then he would simply cast the regulations aside and be with her forever if he could.

Lucy didn't make a comeback; instead she moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. There was no way to make the situation better. Comfort was all she could offer. A moment later Loke submitted to his want to stay near her and leaned down as well. His cheek settled amongst her hair. Neither of them spoke but they knew eventually they'd have to go back inside and act like everything was alright. For now, they were content just being next to each other.

* * *

**Next chapter I will get back to some other things going on and probably get the rest of Team Natsu in. I just felt like this was needed before moving on. I know I'm going a bit slow with the things involving the people going after Lucy, but I still have a few things I want to do before that information is out in the open. **


	21. Small Revelations

**Welcome to another chapter. This week was pretty busy but I still got in all the typing time I needed to get it out today. Thanks for all the favorites, follows, and reviews. **

* * *

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do to help?" Lucy asked. She stood at the end of the table, tapping her foot in a quick motion. The blonde simply wanted to get her mind preoccupied on something else for a while, but clearly her attempt was useless. She and Loke came back inside a while ago. No one asked why she left so abruptly, Mirajane was the only one who offered her a small smile when they walked back inside.

Levy shook her head slowly, still trying to concentrate on what she was reading through. "Not right now. Freed's at the library with the Master, they might need you when they come back."

Despite the blue-haired girl's words, Lucy couldn't help but let a small sigh pass through her lips. She settled down on a seat and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. "Are you guys any closer to figuring anything out?"

The script mage angled her head to the side, peering over at her through the thinly framed magic reading glasses. "The Master has a theory that the reason those people are after you is because you're a celestial wizard. That's why they're taking the time to look through a few books. I'm still trying to decode this mess. It must be really old magic, seeing as it's so complex."

Nodding her head, Lucy placed her finger below her lip, pressing it up in thought for a moment. "What about those people that were captured? Did you guys get anywhere with them?"

They already had them in custody for a few days now. The blonde figured that would have been more than enough time to wear at least one of them down. Being a target for kidnapping wasn't exactly the most settling thing. Lucy wasn't one to run from a fight, but she necessarily didn't like participating in them either. In fact, she hated the idea of getting everyone involved like this. The whole thing with Loke couldn't be helped, yet if the people she cared about were placed in danger another time on her account, she'd never be able to forgive herself if something happened to any of the Fairy Tail members.

Levy shrugged her shoulders prior to resting her elbows on the table. "I'm not sure. You should ask Erza when she comes out. She's talking to them with Mira right now. They've been down there for a while… that could either be a good or bad thing." Some nervous laughter came from the girl, even she knew how relentless those two could be if provoked.

The blonde quickly shook her head, glad to never being on the receiving end. "It's not like celestial magic is that rare. I'm pretty sure that a lot of wizards use Gate Keys. I really only know of my mother, Karen, Angel, Everlue and a few others though."

"Actually there's not as many as you would think," Levy replied. "A lot of guilds don't have more than one if they have any at all. There are only so many keys out there, so I'd presume it's hard to get your hands on the really strong spirits."

"That's true," Lucy said, drawing her head down until her cheek lay on her folded arms. "There are only twelve zodiac keys. Everyone's after them because the spirits are extremely powerful. I was like that too when I first started out."

The script mage shuffled her papers a few times before looking over at her friend. "How many gold ones do you have?"

Lucy took a second to go through them in her mind, pressing down a finger at each on as she counted. "Nine. I don't have Capricorn, Pisces, or Libra. I'm not sure if anyone has ever had all of them at the same time before."

"Maybe they want you because you own the majority of the gold keys," Levy suggested, tucking her loosely hanging sections of hair behind her ear.

"I don't know." Lucy let her words come out slowly, not really liking the whole concept. The blonde pushed herself into an upright position. Her nails suddenly dug inward, pressing small indents into the palm of her hands. She didn't want to think about it right now. Her spirits meant the world to her, so if she ever lost even one of them, she'd be devastated.

"Would you take all twelve keys if you had the chance?" the mage asked with curiosity. However, she was pretty sure she knew the answer already.

Lucy pursed her lips and took a moment to think about it. After gaining so many, some in the most unlikely ways, the answer was simple to give. "If they weren't already with another wizard or I received the keys on a job then yeah, but if they already had contracts, probably not."

"Even if the person offered?" Levy wondered out loud.

"My answer would remain the same," the blonde said with no hesitation. "The bond a wizard and spirit share is special and I would hate to be the one to separate that. I'd do anything for my spirits and even though not all mages are like that, I'd like to think that would be the same with the majority of them." That was purely wishful thinking on her part. She knew some mages were cruel and only used them as tools or shields but Lucy knew better. They have feelings and can feel pain, so how could others see them as anything less?

"You really care about them, don't you?" The script mage smiled and glanced over at Lucy, who dipped her head down in agreement. She didn't know any other celestial wizards, however Lucy has told her about how spirits were treated. Of course the original topic was about her novel, but the Heartfilia always tried to veer of that discussion as swiftly as she could.

The teen's blonde hair swayed a few extra times after her head movement stopped. "Of course, they're my friends. I just don't get what would make my magic so special. It's not like I'm a dragon slayer or something uncommon like that."

"I think what makes celestial magic so distinct is because you're basically connecting two worlds together." The blue-haired girl used the tip of her finger to realign the pair of glasses freely hanging on the bridge of her nose. "If you think about it, spirits and humans wouldn't even be able to interact. I guess that's why your connection with them is so unique."

"When you put it that way it makes sense. But the question of what they would need me for still remains." Lucy tapped her chin lightly, pondering what could possibly be going on. As soon as Levy went back to reading, she picked up a book and started going through it. The blonde wasn't skilled in the scripting of spells but she wanted to spend her time at least trying to be of some use. Besides, if she didn't keep her mind on this, her brain would automatically attract back to the lion spirit and the whole situation with Loke wasn't something she couldn't handle thinking about right now.

* * *

Loke shifted against the wall, trying his hardest to listen to what Gray was saying, yet he was easily being distracted by a certain wizard. He was never going to be able to disregard Lucy effortlessly. The pretty smiles she normally sent him when they spoke or the way her light-colored hair bounced against the backs of her shoulders whenever she walked was absolutely impossible to ignore. Even after everything that just happened, she still pulled him in, the girl didn't even have to try.

He knew he shouldn't be watching her and he tried his best to ignore her very presence in the building, but inevitably his eyes would be drawn to the blonde sitting halfway across the room. Lucy had been captivating his attention since the second she entered the guild, but it had progressed beyond stealing glances at her whenever she passed by. Now there was much more to their relationship, and he couldn't stop himself watching her more often.

"Hey, Loke, did you even hear a word I just said to you?" Gray questioned, swaying his hand in front of his face. "You've been spacing and staring at Lucy the whole time." Crossing his arms over his chest, he let out a small exhale.

"Sorry, she's just been on my mind a lot," Loke replied sheepishly. He rubbed the back of his neck and faced the ice mage, making an effort to keep his gaze away from the direction she was in.

"I can tell," he replied knowingly. Taking a seat, he drummed his fingers on the table a few times. Gray knew the spirit for a while now, yet there was still so many things about him that remained a mystery. "You seemed a little off ever since the mission. Are you still holding up okay?"

"Yeah, I don't feel as strong as I normally do but I should have enough magic to wait the time out," Loke explained, leaning further back. "Even if I started fading again, it would take a while before I can no longer maintain my presence here." Besides, he knew the upcoming feelings all too well. If something was going to happen, he'd definitely know.

"The situation's different than before," Gray countered. "I'm not sure how all the stuff between you and Lucy went down the day you quit the guild but if I were you, I wouldn't push my luck with this kind of thing."

The orange-haired man shrugged his shoulders, coming off a bit carefree about the position he was in. "It's not like I'm being reckless with my magic or anything."

The two of them noticed the fire dragon slayer come in through the doors with his normal amount of excitement and grin on his face, despite the fact that he looked like he was just pulverized by Gildarts. His hair was messier than normal and there were a few noticeable markings on his skin.

"What are you smiling about?" Gray asked once Natsu was inside more.

"I was so close to beating Gildarts this time," he exclaimed, although in reality he was taken down in one or two hits. "I'm sure the next time we fight, I'll win without a doubt. I just need to train more." A snicker was heard and the fire dragon whirled his head around.

"You could train for one hundred years straight and you still wouldn't be able to beat that old geezer," Gajeel said, eyeing the mage. He stood a few feet away, chewing on some iron. "You'll never be that strong."

"Why don't you say that to my face?!" Natsu yelled out, pointing his finger at him, a moment later his hand tightened into a fist, ready to start another brawl if their bickering continued.

"I just did! I'm standing right in front of you," the iron dragon said back just as forcefully, tossing his leftover meal to the side. A small growl reverberated as he spoke do to the normal roughness present in his voice.

Natsu took a step in, banging foreheads together. "Well, then say it again!"

Loke sighed as the two dragon slayers raised fits and hit each other simultaneously before a battle started between them. Gray rolled his eyes, regardless of the fact that he and Natsu did the same thing almost on a regular basis. The spirit's eyes altered to Lucy for a moment. She and Levy paid no mind to the fight, a small glance in their direction was given by both girls when it began, but neither of them felt the need to watch it play out.

When he faced back around, his gaze swept pass Juvia as she was peeking out from behind one of the wooden pillars. Her fixation was obviously on the ice mage, Loke could only guess she was there for a while. The element wizard's affection towards Gray was apparent to just about everyone in the guild.

Even though Juvia was a bit eccentric when it came to expressing her feelings, at least they could be together if he felt the same towards her, which was hard to know because of how aloof he always acted when it came to the rain woman. Deciding it was best not to question his friend, the spirit lowered his gaze and focused on the wooden floor.

Gray hung his head back, feeling quite bored sitting around for the majority of the day. Normally he'd take a small job just to give him something to do, but after finishing one earlier he wasn't in the mood. "Where did all those girls you were talking to before disappear to?"

"I think Cana scared them away," he replied after some thought. "When Lucy and I came back inside, I heard her mumbling something about their how their complaining was annoying and how she couldn't enjoy a drink while listening to it."

"You've been gone for a few months and you still have them following you around." Gray lightly sighed at this fact. It was hard to talk to him before he returned to the Spirit World because of them, on the other hand Loke had his reasons for keeping those girls near. At least they still managed to hang out every now and again.

"I can't really do anything about it though. I broke up with them a while ago, but I guess I can't get myself to tell them to stop." Inside he knew it bothered Lucy, especially now. He hated the feeling of jealousy, so he didn't want to make her go through that when she was already dealing with so much. Although she'd never admit to having that emotion, he could just tell whenever she glanced over.

"Once they realize you're not interested, I'm sure they'll back off eventually," Gray said while shrugging his shoulders. "You'll be going back to your world soon anyway so there's really no point for them to give their hopes up. When you were gone, they were acting like you're planning on staying."

"The only girl I would be willing to stay for is Lucy," Loke mumbled out, catching another sight of the blonde from the corner of his eyes.

The ice mage glimpsed at the celestial mage before turning his attention back on the spirit. His head hung downward while his hazel orbs were attentively glued to the floor. A small frown took over the rest of his features. "Did I miss something? Whenever you talked about Lucy in the past, you never had that look on your face before."

"Am I really that easy to read?" Loke questioned, slouching further down. A small exhale escaped a moment later. "It's nothing that I want to talk about right now."

"You sure?" Gray normally wasn't the type of guy who spoke about girls all the time or the feelings felt towards one. However, the offer was still made. He couldn't consider himself a good friend if he wasn't willing to listen and try to help.

The lion absently nodded his head prior to Gray trying to change the topic of discussion.

* * *

Lucy extended her arms out all the way while holding a book, trying to figure out what the text she was reading meant. Her brown eyes scanned a few lines for the third time before she opened her mouth and let out a sigh. "I don't know how you make sense of any of this stuff."

"I didn't just learn it overnight. It took a lot of time and studying," Levy informed her friend. A pen was held loosely between her fingers just in case something of importance was found and needed to be written down.

The blonde placed the hardcover on the table, running her nails down the paper. "I wish this wasn't so difficult," she expressed through a slight pout.

"What's hard?" Natsu suddenly asked, swinging his arm over Lucy's shoulder. He took a look at what she was reading through. The dragon slayer tilted his head and squinted his eyes at the odd text. "Are those even words?"

"Don't do that, you're all sweaty and gross," the celestial mage said, pushing him away some. "I thought you were busy fighting Gajeel. Did you guys finally figure out that battling each other is pointless?"

"No, I beat him before and I'll do it again." Natsu crossed his arms, letting a small scowl come to his lips. "This time I'm a lot stronger and if I didn't just have a contest with Gildarts. I'm sure he'd be begging for mercy right now!"

"I think it's more like the opposite," the iron dragon slayer said, taking a seat next to Levy. "You don't stand a chance against me."

The two of them stared at one another and the blue-haired girl exhaled and looked over at Lucy. "Why do we have to be stuck between them?"

"I have no idea," the mage muttered back while shaking her head. She combed her fingers through her hair a few time as they started arguing again about who was tougher. Her elbows were placed on the table and her cheeks rested on each hand. From the direction she faced, Bisca and Alzack could be seen. A tiny smile came to her lips. It was clear that they liked each other, just lacked the conviction to say it.

They would make a great couple if one of them could just say something. Still, the nonchalant glimpses at one another were a bit cute to see. It wouldn't even be weird to see them dating, considering that they're always together. Some gossip would spread throughout Fairy Tail, but that was a given. After all, the whole guild was like a family.

The second Natsu's fist slammed down on the table, Lucy was brought back to what was happening right next to her. "Careful, you're going to knock something over," Lucy said, able to steady the cup before it spilled onto Levy's work. The fire dragon quarrelling with Gajeel was just as bad or maybe even worse than when it's with Gray. Either way, it always gets out of hand. "Why don't you guys take this outside or something?"

"There's no one to see me win if we do that," Natsu complained. "The whole guild should be able to witness my victory. That way everyone will know how strong I've really gotten."

The clanking of heels could be heard. No one even needed to turn around to know who was coming. The dragon slayers stopped talking and Natsu even stiffened up a little. "I suggest you don't fight at all. In fact, it would be best if you two separated." Erza's scarlet hair swayed freely past her hips until she came to a stop and her long locks settled in one place.

Gajeel started walking away and Lucy's eyebrow's rose upon seeing this. "You're actually listening to Erza?"

He paused and turned his head back, giving her a fleeting look. "Like I really want to cross her, I'm not that stupid." He knew better than to go against Titania, he'd lose a battle with her easily and he preferred not doing unnecessary things.

Levy watched as Gajeel left and headed over to Juvia before focusing her attention on the S-class mages standing at the other end of the table. "So, did you find anything out?"

"After a lot of meaningless talking, Mira and I were able to get something from them. I just don't have a very good feeling about it." Erza crossed her arms as her expression became serious in an instant, which didn't sit very well with the others.

"What did they say?" Gray asked, walking up with Loke not too far behind him.

Mirajane placed her hands behind her back and folded her fingers together "At first, nothing. A few mumbling was heard but after we separated and interrogated them one by one, the last guy mentioned something about the full moon, how that night is important."

"That's a little over a week away," Loke mentioned. In retrospect that didn't give them enough time to prepare. He wished that Levy could decode the spell quicker. If something ended up happening, he wanted to have his full strength so he could protect the blonde. Right now he pretty much felt useless. Simply using combat was fine, however, he needed magic to enhance his power. "What does that have to do with Lucy?"

"We're still trying to figure that out. The only thing we can do is keep researching and trying to get those guys to talk." Erza shifted her gaze to the Heartfilia and continued. "They're probably trying to bring you back to the island before then."

Natsu pounded his fists together. "So all we have to do is keep Lucy safe until that night's over and they won't need her anymore, right?"

"We can only hope it's as simple as that," the barmaid told him with a quick nod. "Finding out why is important though. That way we at least know what we're attempting to stop. Hopefully Freed and the Master got somewhere. Any amount of information would be useful now that we know some more details." Certain aspects were still missing though.

Lucy took a few steps away, going through the information in her head. She didn't like how any of it sounded. The tips of her fingers brushed past the keys hanging on her belt, causing them to softly chime. A heavy breath emptied from her lungs.

"Are you alright?" Loke quietly asked from behind her.

"I don't know… it's a lot to take in at once." Lucy faced him but let her gaze sink to the floor. "I'm getting a strange feeling about all of this. The Master said it seems like they let themselves get caught, so what if this was part of their plan too?"

"There's really no way for us to know for sure," he stated, although she had a very good point. "Whether it's true or not, we won't let anything happen to you. Everyone here would do anything to keep you safe and it's the same when it comes to your spirits, that's what we're here for, right? Even Aquarius, who seems unlikely to, seeing how she treats you, but she don't want to lose another master."

"I know and I really shouldn't be so worried knowing I have all of you." Lucy lifted her brown orbs and managed to smile a little. If her friends were there for her, then she had no reason to doubt. She and Loke went back to the conversation just as Mirajane left to inform Makarov of what they discovered.

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**Some more information about the plan to kidnap Lucy was given in this chapter and I will go a bit further in the next. Like I said previously, I don't want to just give it all away in one shot. I still have a few more things I need to get in before the whole thing is figured out. Please leave a review.**


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